Johnny Kelley

BOSTON (AP) – Johnny Kelley, a two-time Boston Marathon champion who became a beloved figure in the history of the race by running it a record 61 times, died at 97.

He died Wednesday night at a Cape Cod nursing home, stepson Dave DeLong said. His death came just three hours after he moved from his Dennis home to the nearby Windsor Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

Kelley, a former Olympian and member of the USA Track & Field Hall of Fame, won America's oldest marathon in 1935 and 1945 and finished second a record seven times. But it was his longevity for which Kelley will be remembered. He completed 58 Boston Marathons, also a record, and had 18 finishes in the top 10.

"Johnny was not only a great runner, he was a great person who touched millions of lives and inspired millions of runners," DeLong said. "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."

Kelley was timed in 3 hours, 17 minutes in his first marathon at age 20 in 1928 on an out-and-back course between Pawtucket and Woonsocket, R.I. But he didn't finish his first two Boston Marathons, dropping out in 1928 and 1932.

He tried to stay with the leaders in 1933, but faded to 37th by race's end. The following year, Kelley once again ran near the front, but this time he held on for second place _ the first of his seven second-place finishes.

Kelley continued to improve as a runner and in 1935 ran away from Pat Dengis to capture his first Boston Marathon win in 2:32:07.

He placed fifth in 1936 after taking part in the race that is commonly considered the origin of the term ``Heartbreak Hill.'' Kelley, thinking that race leader Ellison "Tarzan" Brown had exhausted himself by the last of the four Newton hills, patted Brown on the back while taking the lead. Inspired by this gesture, Brown soon regained the lead and became the eventual champion. Kelley, heartbroken, faded to fifth.

That summer, Kelley finished 18th in the marathon at the Berlin Olympics.

In June 1942, Kelley's wife of three years, Mary, died of cancer and he was soon drafted into the U.S. Army. Private John Kelley came up from Alabama's Fort McClellan for the 1943 Boston Marathon, where his time of 2:30:00, his fastest ever at Boston, left him in second place once again.

His lifetime best of 2:28:18 came in 1948 in Salisbury, Mass.

In 1957, he surprised everyone by placing ninth in 2:52:12 at age 50. He continued to race at Boston until 1968, when he did not start, and again through 1992, when at age 84 he started his 61st and final Boston Marathon. He finished in 5:58:00.

In 1993, the statue "Young at Heart" was dedicated in honor of Kelley at the base of the third hill in Newton. The statue depicts a 27-year-old Kelley winning in 1935 and clasping hands with an older Kelley finishing in 1991 at 83.

Beginning in 1995, Kelley has served as the Grand Marshal of the Boston Marathon, preceding the runners in a pace vehicle.

Born Sept. 6, 1907, John Adelbert Kelley was the oldest of five boys and five girls growing up in West Medford. He ran track first at Medford High School, and later at Arlington High School after the family moved to the nearby town.


Copyright © 2004 The Associated Press