Newton Landmarks Provide Historic Backdrop for Boston Marathon Runners
The sights and sounds of Newton landmarks will greet participants of the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 20. As runners pass through Newton at mile 16 to 17 on the…
(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The sights and sounds of Newton landmarks will greet participants of the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 20.
As runners pass through Newton at mile 16 to 17 on the Boston Marathon course, they'll encounter features that enhance the race experience with visual motivation and a connection to Boston's history and culture.
Notable landmarks along Heartbreak Hill include the early-1800s Charles River dams, Bullard's Pond, the double statue of Marathon legend Johnny Kelley, the 103-year-old Woodland Golf Club clubhouse designed by Donald J. Ross, and St. Ignatius of Loyola Church.
Boston Today profiled some of these landmarks and explained their significance in connection with the Boston Marathon:
- As contestants reach mile marker 16, they will hear the sound of the roaring Charles River tumbling over six dams that have generated power for mills in the area for more than 200 years.
- The Woodland Golf Club clubhouse near mile 17 is a 103-year-old building designed by Donald J. Ross, a notable golf course architect.
- Bullard's Pond near mile 19 was once an ice-skating site. There's also the statue of Johnny Kelley, a legendary Boston Marathon runner who completed the race 61 times and won it twice.
- As runners ascend Heartbreak Hill, they'll pass along a grassy greenway that was once home to railroad tracks. There, early marathoners raced against electric trolley cars.
- When the Boston Marathon bombing occurred in 2013, St. Ignatius of Loyola Church provided shelter to runners that day.
The 130th running of the Boston Marathon will take place on Monday, April 20. WCVB will provide exclusive live, local broadcast coverage of the event.
