Kings and Queens, Kingmakers and Queenmakers

Photo by Howard Lao

Kings and Queens, Kingmakers and Queenmakers

Words Jeff Merrill

The first running of the Boston Marathon is chronologically closer to the signing of the Declaration of Independence than it is to the current date, by 7 years, in fact. The crack of the first starting pistol and the smoke emanating from it that subsequently drifted through the air occurred on a date closer to the Boston Massacre by 1 year than to today. Our country’s adoration of recreation and sport seems a modern one in relation to our revolutionary founding, which might as well be ancient history, but as the United States and the world’s oldest annual marathon continue to endure through time, their foundings will appear increasingly closer on the timeline to future generations.

The first runnings were dominated by Americans and Canadians. Of course they were, the race was small and weird! The first one in 1897 had 15 participants. John McDermott came down from New York to win it in 2:55 on the mud-covered course that to best estimates measured 23.6 miles. In 1932, a German won it- the first winner from outside of North America. In 1946, a Greek guy, and in 1947, a South Korean. Since 1947, there have only been 10 American men winners. The first official women’s winner was American Roberta Gibb in 1966. American women won the next 13 of 14 races. Since 1979, there have been 3 American women champions.

Photo by Howard Lao

One could argue that the idea of running 26.2 miles (or 23.6) from a suburb of Boston into the city is no less strange to a commoner than it was in 1897, it’s just that it has now had 128 years to seep into our cultural understanding. The time has also allowed for the history of the Boston Marathon to become glorified. There have no doubt been countless fun runs that have come and gone with winners noteworthy and not, but all of the names attached to the Boston Marathon carry extra weight because of how prestigious the race has become.

Startup races rely on names bigger than the race to pierce the news cycle, because a new race does not yet have cache. There have been few names if any who have competed in the Boston Marathon that outshine what the race has become.

We don’t know if Lawrence Brignolia (third Boston winner) was really any good, even if we were to compare across eras. He was the heaviest man to ever win the Boston Marathon at 161 pounds, and he was a blacksmith. Could he break the tape on Boylston in 2:06 today if we got him on a steady diet of hundred mile weeks, threw him in Puma Fast-R Nitro Elites, and spoon-fed him some sweet Maurten Bicarb? Who’s to say? The dude would probably have to do some influencing to get by until the training kicked in but I’d bet @theblacksmithrunner could nab a sweetheart deal with Tracksmith. Nevertheless, his name sits on the list of victors of the Boston Marathon, along with Geoffrey Kirui, Bill Rodgers, Des Linden, Lelisa Desisa and Joan Benoit. Eliud Kipchoge has not managed to make it on.

There were towns on the Italian peninsula that skirmished with Rome when it was just the name of a settlement along the Tiber. Alba Longa, Veii, the Etruscans and Sabines. None of them grew to become an empire, and thus, their kings and chieftains, though they may have won battles against the Romans, are not included in the lore, sanctified in the lineage of the thing that would become what men of the 21st century think about… often.

When an athlete reaches the peak of the sport and has some magnetism to combine with ambition, you might hear them say that they want to ‘transcend the sport’. This can be interpreted as dismissive of the very thing that provided them with the opportunity to reach such great heights- that they want to leave the bubble and climb the ladder to more popular, visible platforms. Put in a more admirable light, it’s a desire to be seen not as something other than a track athlete, but to have their achievements respected by audiences outside of the traditional track circle. The Boston Marathon has achieved this status as an event. Winning the Boston Marathon is synonymous with greatness, and that is known by runners and non runners alike. In order to have kings and queens, the sport needs king and queen-making events.

Photo by Howard Lao

Maybe we as runners are still sideshow freaks, sword swallowers and blacksmiths who believe our pursuit to be a far nobler one. There are certain races that pierce the carnival tent separating the running world and the mainstream to hand the strongman a laurel wreath. Boston is one of those.

It's possible for someone to make the leap and add their name to the list that includes John McDermott, Roberta Gibb, Lawrence Brignolia, Rosa Mota, Robert Cheruiyot, Hellen Obiri and Evans Chebet, Bill Rodgers and Joan Benoit. It’s possible for them to do it on Monday, from Hopkinton to Boylston.

The Americans:

The law firm of Mantz & Young. Clayton Young’s Youtube channel is the best in the biz, and captures build-ups in a way that 24/7 used to do for boxing matches on HBO. Not only does it create anticipation for what Clayton (and Conner) are going to do, it invites you to explore the other contenders in their races as well. The series truly dimensionalizes the starting line in a way the sport needs. It's a filet with sauteed broccolini in a world where there’s a lot of greasy bags of chicken strips.

You can expect these guys to get top 10, but what I would love to see is top 5. In Chicago in 2023 they were 6 and 7. At the Olympics, they were 8, 9. In New York last year, they were 6 and 7. A 3 and 4 or dare I say, 2 and 3 would be a real boost for the Cougar clan back in Provo. 1, 2 would put them on a sofa talking with every Jimmy and Stephen on TV.

Going… Going…

I’m going to tell you to keep a close eye on Jackie Gaughan (Gone). Going into CIM last year, she had a best of 2:27- an 18th placing at the 2023 Berlin Marathon. She navigated the early hills in Sacramento in the pack and then threw down the hammer to run 2:24:10, negative splitting a 70:21 second half. She sparred with eventual winner Callie Hauger-Thackery before finishing runner-up by a mere 12 seconds. Her 5k from 35k to 40k was 16:13, which is faster than her listed 5k road PR of 16:20 and only 21 seconds slower than her track PR of 15:52. CIM has long been a launch pad for marathon success on a global stage, just ask top American contenders in this year’s Boston Marathon CJ Albertson, Emma Bates, and Sara Vaughn. The manner in which Gaughan raced CIM could portend something special if she can roll the same smoke over the Newton Hills.

Keep an eye out for the 3-peat from Hellen Obiri, and if it happens, remember to type Helllen from then on. It will be hard to remember, but hey, I eventually got used to typing 2024.

Happy Patriot’s Day, Patriots! Hey, even to the haters and losers.