John A. Kelley, Marathoner, Dies at 97 (original) (raw)

Sports|John A. Kelley, Marathoner, Dies at 97

https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/08/sports/othersports/john-a-kelley-marathoner-dies-at-97.html

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Oct. 8, 2004

John A. Kelley, who ran 61 Boston Marathons, won two and became almost as celebrated as the race itself, died on Wednesday in South Yarmouth, Mass. He was 97.

A stepson, David DeLong, said Kelley died in a nursing home, less than three hours after he arrived from his home in nearby East Dennis.

Kelley was a Boston sports hero in the mold of Ted Williams, Bill Russell, Larry Bird and Bobby Orr, but of that illustrious group the only one home grown and the only amateur. He ran perhaps 1,500 races, including 112 marathons, and won 22 diamond rings, 118 watches, one refrigerator and no money.

The Boston Marathon is the world's most storied running event. In 1935, Kelley covered its 26 miles 385 yards in 2 hours 32 minutes 7 seconds to win for the first time. In 1945, his winning time was 2:30:40, the fastest in the world that year.

He finished Boston 58 times, took second seven times and placed among the top-10 finishers 18 times. After his second victory, the next American winner at Boston was the unrelated John J. Kelley in 1957. When John J. won, he became known as Kelley the Younger and his predecessor and hero Kelley the Elder.

When the Elder grew elder, he kept running the Boston race. An hour or more after the leaders had passed by, he and his white hair and his gnarled and bony body, all 5 feet 6 inches and 130 pounds of him, would arrive.

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