Boston Marathon Legend Johnny Kelley Will Always Be "Young at Heart"

At the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and Walnut Street is a statue representing a man who has inspired more runners in the last century than any other. Entitled “Young at Heart,” the monument depicts runner Johnny Kelley as a 27-year old winning his first Boston Marathon and at age 84 when crossing the finish line at his last.

Born in West Medford in 1907, Kelley was the oldest of ten children in his family. He ran track as a student at Arlington High School, and from there he would go on to one of the most elite running careers ever known.

While Kelley worked in a power plant in South Boston during the day, at night he ran. He did not finish his first run in the Boston Marathon, which was in 1928, but he did go on to win twice: in 1935 and in 1945. He finished in second place seven times during his career.

According to RunningPast.com, “In the seventeen years from 1934 to 1950, he finished in the top five 15 times at Boston, consistently running in the 2:30s.  He ran his last Boston [Marathon] in 1992 at the age of 84, his 61st start and his 58th finish.” He also represented the United States in the 1936 Olympic Games at Berlin where he finished in 18th place, and the 1948 Olympics in London where he finished in 21st place; he was forty years old at the time.

Newton’s infamous  got its name from Kelley. During the 1936 marathon, he gently tapped competitor Tarzan Brown on the back as he passed him during this stretch of the race. Brown, infuriated by Kelley’s hubris, passed Kelley and went on to win the race. To the end, Kelley insisted he did not mean to taunt Brown, but his “heartbreak” of not winning the race that year (he came in fifth place) began on that very hill. 

The statue of Kelley was unveiled in April of 1993, a year following his final run in the marathon and Kelley thrilled the crowd at the ceremony by singing “Young at Heart.”

While the statue in Newton is one of the most enduring testaments to Kelley’s legacy, there is no shortage of praise for him. Runner’s World magazine declared him “Runner of the Century” in 2000, and he has thrown out the first pitch at numerous Red Sox games. When he passed away in 2004 at the age of 97, his nephew, Dave DeLong, was quoted by ESPN.com, stating, “Johnny was not only a great runner, he was a great person who touched millions of lives and inspired millions of runners…He lived life to the fullest, in everything he did, and one of his greatest gifts was always seeing the best in everything and everybody.”

When the Boston Marathon makes its way through Newton this year, Johnny Kelley will be there, both in bronze and in spirit, keeping us all young at heart and giving runners the courage and the will to finish the race.