Digital Sports Desk

By TERRY LYONS

HEARTBREAK HILL, NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS – Twenty miles into the Boston Marathon, the runners enter “my kinda town.” Yes, Newton, Massachusetts is the location of the world famous “Heartbreak Hill,” and for those not familiar with the area, it’s really a series of four hills along Commonwealth Avenue which runs diagonally through the center of Waban, Newton, Newton Centre and Chestnut Hill. Normally, it’s quite nice and scenic.

But, on Marathon Monday, the tree-lined and bucolic streets of Newton turn into the most challenging obstacle of the race course for this past Monday’s 130th Boston Marathon.

Runner’s World accurately describes it like this:

“Heartbreak Hill is located between mile 20 and mile 21 of the Boston Marathon. As the last and most famous of the four Newton hills, this roughly half-mile incline begins around mile 20.3 and peaks near the 20.4-mile marker, specifically notorious for testing runners after 20 miles of racing.

Quick Facts

o Starting Point: Just past the 20-mile marker on Commonwealth Avenue (what the locals call “Comm Ave”).

o Summit Point: It ends roughly at mile 21, near Hammond Street and the Boston College campus of Chestnut Hill.

o The Incline: The hill is about 0.4 to 0.5 miles long with a vertical rise of approximately 88–91 feet.

o Difficulty: While not the steepest hill on the course, it is notorious because it occurs at a point where runners’ glycogen stores are often depleted—the point where many “hit the wall.” The kicker (or ass-kicker) comes when runners shift from climbing the uphill to the quite steep downhill from Boston College all the way to the finish line in Copley.

Heartbreak Hill earned its name during the 1936 race when defending championJohnny Kelley caught up to and patted leader Ellison “Tarzan” Brown on the back. The gesture motivated Brown to surge ahead and win, “breaking Kelley’s heart”. A statue of Kelley, titled “Young at Heart,” stands at the base of the hill near mile 20.

Like that of Johnny Kelley and Tarzan Brown in 1936, the Boston Marathon, each and every year, has about 30,000 incredible stories to tell. Data from race organizer – the Boston Athletic Association – showed 33,267 applications for this year’s race. A total of 29,025 finished the race this year. And, by the way, 12,579 of those runners were female.

That’s a lot of runners.

While it’s not as many participants as New York’s record 59,662 runners for last November’s New York City Marathon, Boston is known as the most prestigious race to run (and finish). I often cite 1968 Boston Marathon champion Amby Burfoot who famously describes the Boston Marathon as “the Carnegie Hall” of marathons. This analogy highlights the race as the premier, ultimate venue for runners—a place of prestige where one has to earn the right to perform, similar to performing at Carnegie Hall in New York City.”

I’m lucky enough to call Amby Burfoot a friend.

I met him as a colleague/co-worker when he was the Editor-at-Large for Runner’s World magazine. I was asked by the Runner’s World’s PR team (Chris Brienza, DavidTratner and Laura Beachy) to help out with their work – both preparing and then executing efforts to publicize the wonderful and informative magazine, a product of Rodale publishing. To say it was a marvelous experience would be the understatement of my current century.

After nearly 30 years at the NBA, you think you would’ve experienced just about everything sports has to offer. Well, running marathons is a whole different story. Quite frankly, I learned more from a three minute talk with Amby than I ever learned in school.

As Editor-at-Large, Burfoot could unearth the stories of the champions and the everyday, weekend warriors. When in Boston (from his Mystic, Connecticut home), he was the “people’s champion” for sure, taking pictures and interacting with thousands of runners and fans. It was quite amazing to see any everyday guy turn into this incredible celebrity champion for a couple of weeks, leading up to race day.

Instead of paraphrasing one of Amby’s great stories, I’ll simply turn the column over to him to tell you this one. To frame it, this is what Amby wrote on August 21, 2011 of the death of “young” John Kelley, his friend and idol.

John J. Kelley, RIP, 1930-2011: 1957 Boston Marathon Winner; America’s First Modern Road Runner

Nineteen fifty-seven Boston Marathon winner John J. Kelley “The Younger” crossed the final finish line early this morning in North Stonington, CT, just a few miles from Mystic, where he had lived most his adult life. Kelley died with few more possessions than he began with 80 years ago on Christmas Eve, 1930. But he ran his heart out every step of the way. And those of us lucky enough to have shared a few miles at his side will forever remember his vigor, his encompassing warmth, and the way he loved all creatures great, and especially the small and powerless.

Kelley, whom I first met in 1962, was the most sincere, humble, gentle, and authentic human being I have ever known. He was the first person I ever saw stop his car to help a turtle across the road, and he never ever, without exception, said a word about himself and his considerable accomplishments. He also never uttered a negative word about anyone else, with the possible exceptions of Joseph McCarthy and Richard Nixon.

Kelley was an extraordinary gentleman, yet also a radical free thinker. A friend, writer and marathoner Gail Kislevitz, called Kelley “the last rebellious man standing.” The phrase fits.

In his final days Kelley was surrounded by his three daughters–Julie, Kathleen, andEileen–and a number of his grandchildren. He died from a melanoma that eventually spread to his lungs. Kelley’s wife Jacintha passed away in 2003.

Kelley’s athletic record is unparalleled among American distance runners. In 1957 he became the first and only member of the BAA running club to win the BAA Boston Marathon. In addition to his win, Kelley finished second at Boston five times. He won the 1959 Pan American Games Marathon, and captured eight consecutive USA National Marathon titles even though this event took place on the hot, hilly Yonkers course just four to five weeks after Boston. Kelley represented the U.S. in the 1956 and 1960 Olympic Marathons, with a best finish of 19th in the Rome Olympic race famously won by barefoot Abebe Bikila.

“Kelley didn’t like the limelight, and people don’t even know about him today,” saysBill Rodgers, four time Boston and New York City Marathon winner, “But his eight straight wins at Yonkers stand second only to Grete’s nine wins in New York, and it’s better in some ways. Grete’s longest streak was five straight.

“Kelley was at the epicenter of American marathoning. He was in the trenches doing the spade work for the likes of Frank Shorter and me and everyone who has come along since. Marathoning wasn’t a business then. There wasn’t any money, and it wasn’t entertainment. The runners had to put up with a public and sports media who basically knew nothing. Marathoners were treated as second-class athletes. But Kelley didn’t let that stop him. He was quiet but had tremendous drive. He was tough as nails.”

In many ways, Kelley was the first modern American road runner. The generations before him–including greats like Clarence DeMar and “Old John” A. Kelley (no relation, despite the similar name and similar Boston Marathon histories)–came from working-class roots. So did Kelley, but he loved books and learning, and ultimately received a masters degree from Boston University.

Another big difference: Where his predecessors were relatively slow plodders, Kelley was fast. A high school prodigy in the mile in New London, CT, he was recruited to B.U. by an ambitious track coach who aimed to turn him into the next Glenn Cunningham. The plan didn’t work. Kelley had no taste for endless track repeats and races on a small oval. He yearned for greater adventure, less coaching, and more personal exploration. Midway through his college years, he was rising at 4:30 a.m. to run a dark, lonely 16-mile loop around the Charles River. He spent more time listening to Boston Marathon organizer/masseur/running-team coach Jock Semple than to his college coach, and ran his first two Bostons while still a college student.

“Kelley argued with his college coach Doug Raymond about the value of long, slow runs vs endless, gasping 440-yard sprints around the track,” notes Boston Marathon historian and author Tom Derderian. “Kelley’s fight against the conventional wisdom lifted him to the crest of the new wave of American distance running that led to Frank Shorter’s Olympic gold medal.”

The Boston Marathon’s former executive director Tom Grilk observed: “John J. Kelley’s victory in the Boston Marathon wearing the unicorn of the BAA has been an inspiration to all of us at the BAA, as well as to generations of Boston and American runners. He ran and won at a time when there was no money to be won; a time when victory was sufficient unto itself. His legacy is that of striving for excellence for its own sake, and for the quiet satisfaction that it brings to those with a deep sense of personal values. I hope we will all continue to learn from that. It remains John’s gift to us all.”

That’s just one story – a pretty amazing backstory coming from the ‘68 champion who happens to be running Boston again – today! Today, Amby Burfoot’s experiences will create 100 stories of their own, and so on.

What strikes me the most every Patriots’ Day in Massachusetts (it’s celebrated in Maine, Florida, Wisconsin, Connecticut, North Dakota, and Utah, too) is that the whole Commonwealth STOPS. At some point in the day, every person that is able gets out to cheer on a friend or a random runner passing by. Some families create their makeshift tailgate parties while those fortunate enough to own a house on the course throw the party of the year (rain or shine, in all degrees of temperature). The estimates are some 500,000 people are spectators for the Boston Marathon, not counting the audience that tuned in on local broadcast (now on WCVB-5 Boston, after decades on WBZ-TV Boston). The national broadcast was anchored by Hannah Storm on ESPN2 and a host of international broadcasters, many who sent their commentators to cover the race live and in person were here in Boston for the festivities.

Others, like your favorite columnist, detoured over to Fenway Park for the traditional Major League Baseball game pitting the hometown Red Sox vs. the Detroit Tigers. First pitch was at 11:10am. (The Red Sox won, 8-6).

Regardless of where you spent the day, the spirit and pure inspiration of the race permeates the very cold air we breath on the wonderful day, called Patriots’ Day, the best day of the year in Boston.

I’ll provide links to a couple of columns from year’s past. They are amongst my personal, all-time favorites.

• Switzer is “261” and Fearless in Boston
• Join Us in Boston – (Year After the Marathon Bombing)

I highly recommend you take a stroll through those two columns which both provide incredible backstories of experiences from much earlier this century, noting that we moved to Newton, Mass in 2008.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Ones Basketball League (OBL), the re-envisioning of the premier 1 v 1 basketball league founded by basketball Hall of Famer and entrepreneur Tracy McGrady, unveiled the 32 athletes–four for each city–that have been selected by team GM/Owners for the first round of “OBL: Battle of The Cities,” which will be held on Friday, May 15 in Orlando, Florida.

In addition to McGrady who provided input, the GMs who directly picked the athletes with their designated team captain are:

• Team Orlando- Vince Carter, Basketball Hall of Famer
• Team Washington, DC – Quinn Cook, two-time NBA Champion
• Team Miami – Tim Hardaway Sr., five-time NBA All-Star
• Team New York – Jadakiss, recording star and basketball insider
• Team Chicago – Larenz Tate, actor, film producer, basketball aficionado
• Team Raleigh – John Wall, five-time NBA All-Star
• Team Atlanta – Jaylen Brown, star of the Boston Celtics
• Team Baltimore – Muggsy Bogues, 14 year NBA veteran

One problem, proven-out as long ago as Pepsi Hot-Shot of the ‘70s and eraly ‘80s, is the fact one-on-one basketball is not viewer-friendly (very exciting). Full court one-on-one, witnessed at practices at the 2000 Sydney Olympics USA team practices were another story! Jason Kidd vs. Steve Smith games (after practice when they were exhausted) were a sight to be seen.

TID BITS & NUGGETS: The Los Angeles Lakers comeback and overtime win vs. the Houston Rockets definitely was the must-watch event of the NBA Playoffs. Condolences to all those ML fans on Draft Kings, if you had the Rockets, who were up by six points with 30 seconds left in regulation — and Houston had the ball. NBA teams were 1,713-1 in the playoffs over the last 29 years when leading by six or more in the final 30 seconds of regulation.

The one game? The Lakers joined the Philadelphia 76ers and their win over the New York Knicks in Game 5 of the first round in 2024, (according to ESPN Research).

Reggie Miller? The difference was five points at the :29 second mark.

In that game, an April 7, 1995 Eastern Conference first-round Game 1 at Madison Square Garden, Indiana trailed 105–100 with 18.7 seconds remaining after Patrick Ewing hit a hook shot at the 18.7-second mark. Then, Miller worked his magic.

IS THERE … anything worse than local media types giving “grades” for the NFL Draft about a minute after the first, second and third rounds of the annual selection soiree? The NY (Jersey, really) Giants even earned an “A+” for their selection of Edge Rusher Arvell Reese. Not an “A,” but an “A+.”

How about waiting – at least a year or two – befopre assessing the ups & downs of a pro draft?

THIS JEST IN: For all you longtime NBA conspiracy theorists out there, especially the ones who always tweet their belief that the NBA (via its officials) favors specific teams located in the large TV markets – here’s a new thought!

This year, the NBA wants all the small market teams to move on, so the likes of reigning champion Oklahoma City, or small time San Antonio to advance. This comes off the Indiana Pacers vs OKC NBA Finals series from last season – two of the smallest TV markets in the USA.

Wink. 😜

VIVA LA FRANCE: Long live France, yes, but long live all of us when we’re talking about the site of the 2031 FIBA World Cup. The FIBA Central Board picked France as the host of the 2031 FIBA Basketball World Cup, with Japan getting the Women’s World Cup in 2030. The French cities of Lille, Lyon, and Paris will co-host the event from Aug. 29 to Sept. 14, with the final taking place in Paris.

The women’s tournament will be held in Tokyo from Nov. 26 to Dec.8, 2031.

I wonder how many grads of the NBA Basketball Schools will compete in that event, never mind all the Basketball without Borders stars.

ON YOUR DIAL: At about 3:30pm (EDT) on Saturday (April 25), your columnists settled down after a busy morning and flipped on the television to watch some sports.

The NFL Draft was on ABC and ESPN – but both were in commercial. Checked FS-1 for a MLB game – commercial. Checked the CW for the WNBA – commercial. Over to NBC as Showtime concluded before the Phoenix Suns vs OKC Thunder – commercial.