THE BOOK
First run in 1897 – as the fourth marathon in the world and only the second held in the United States – the Boston Marathon attracts thousands each year due to its decades-long history, longevity, heritage, and legacy.
Read about some of the more iconic and Boston Marathon-specific traditions and lore via detailed descriptions and rare and insightful photos about such elements as the connection between the Greek god Zeus, the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC, and the gold-dipped olive-branch wreaths each champion receives; the growth of the start and finish lines from its simple origins as a single line to its lavish colorful artistry; the unique athlete and culture exchange program with the Ohme-Hochi 30K in Japan that began with four-time Boston Marathon winner Bill Rodgers in the 1970s; statues and monuments along the course, including one of runner-sculptor Bobbi Gibb, the first woman to finish the Boston Marathon and who created the life-size statue herself; the ever-changing beauty of the finisher medal; the evolution of media coverage; the athlete villages, one of which began in 1996 to accommodate its largest field of 38,000 for its centennial; and much more.
THE RACE
The Boston Marathon was first run on Patriots' Day, April 19, 1897, after competing Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) athletes returned from the 1896 Modern Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, with the idea of bringing the marathon to their B.A.A. Games in Boston, Mass.
The oldest continually run marathon in the world has witnessed the famous and the infamous, national and world records, triumphs and heartaches, and is hailed as the greatest of them all.
THE BOOK
Take an exciting and behind-the-scenes look at the oldest continually run marathon, which began in 1897, through insightful text and more than 170 primarily color photos - some extremely rare and never-before published.
It's all here - from the early years of Clarence DeMar, Ellison "Tarzan" Brown, Johnny "The Elder" Kelley, to the inclusion of women (Roberta "Bobbi" Gibb, Kathrine Switzer, Nina Kuscsik) and push-rim wheelchair athletes (Bob Hall, Ernst van Dyk, Jean Driscoll, Tatyana McFadden), to the addition of prize money, African runners, the 100th, the reemergence of Americans in the top 10, and tragedy and triumph.
With a Foreword by 4-time Boston Marathon winner Bill Rodgers, enjoy unique hidden treasures, media events and press conferences, statue dedications, and one-of-a-kind images via decades of special access that takes you closer to the heart of the race and the people and communities along the way.
THE RACE
The Boston Marathon was first run on Patriots' Day, April 19, 1897, after competing Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) athletes returned from the 1896 Modern Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, with the idea of bringing the marathon to their B.A.A. Games in Boston, Mass.
The oldest continually run marathon in the world has witnessed the famous and the infamous, national and world records, triumphs and heartaches, and is hailed as the greatest of them all.
THE BOOK
Read about where it all began in Ashland in 1897; the various start lines in Hopkinton; the year in which a train cut through the race in Framingham; Tarzan Brown’s “dip” in a Natick lake during the race; the Scream Tunnel of women at Wellesley College; the Johnny Kelley statue in Newton; how Heartbreak Hill earned its name; the Red Sox connection and Kenmore Square; the different finish lines in Boston; and more. The book takes readers through the colorful 26.2-mile journey - mile by mile, town by town, story by story. The great race is brought to life through informative, humorous, and enlightening detail that includes stories about every statue, moment, landmark, and portion of the course from its start the year after the first Modern Olympic Games in Greece with just 10 male finishers to its current incarnation of 30,000 participants, including women and push-rim wheelchair athletes! With Forewords by Boston Marathon race director Dave McGillivray and the first woman to complete the race - Roberta “Bobbi” Gibb - the book also features a wide range of vintage and race-day photos, some of which never before published; course advice from legendary running coach Bill Squires; and to further enhance your experience, personal runner-perspective views and insight by the author (who's run Boston 23 times).
REVIEW
"A gem of a book about a revered sporting event; facts and anecdotes aplenty in a breezy prose. A must for runners."
-Dennis O’Rourke, musician, author/editor "Clean Cabbage in the Bucket and Other Tales from the Irish Music Trenches"
RECOMMENDED
"For workout motivation, 'Boston Marathon History by the Mile,' by Paul C. Clerici, covers the history of the famous race from Hopkinton to Boylston Street."
-"Boston Magazine" October 1, 2015 article "Nine Books for the Boston Coffee Table" by Olivia Rassow
THE BOOK
Authorized biography of the late USATF National Track & Field Hall of Fame running coach Bill Squires.
THE MAN
Three-time high school mile state champion and two-time All-American in college, simultaneously held the Notre Dame record in the indoor and outdoor mile, indoor half-mile, and anchor leg of the two-mile relay team.
While in the U.S. Army air wing, coached Special Services runners, and himself peaked in the mile with a 4:05.6 (3:47.6 metric).
Three-time collegiate Coach of the Year at Boston State, recognized as one of the greatest running coaches in the United States, especially in the marathon.
Coached groundbreaking Greater Boston Track Club to 17 national championships, 6 national champions, 7 American record-holders, and numerous world-beaters, including Bill Rodgers, Alberto Salazar, Greg Meyer, Bob Hodge, Randy Thomas, wheelchair champion Bob Hall, non-GBTC Dick Beardsley.
At the 1979 Boston Marathon, four of the top 10 finishers were from GBTC (Bill Rodgers first, Bob Hodge third, Randy Thomas eighth, Dick Mahoney 10th).
On the collegiate level, coached 49 team championships, 16 All-Americans, 3 NCAA champions at Boston State and the University of Massachusetts Boston.
Olympic Development coach named as the 1980 U.S. Olympic 10K/marathon coach; and on behalf of the U.S. State Department, national, and international organizations, coached several national teams overseas.
Inducted into many halls of fame - including the USATF National Track & Field Hall of Fame in 2017 - and in 2002 was honored with the National Distance Running Hall of Fame’s prestigious Bill Bowerman Coaching Award.
REVIEW
"Truly, born to coach. Many of the great coaches seem to be characters, idiosyncratic but inspirational, and Squires lines up alongside them: Lydiard, Cerutty, Bowerman - larger-than-life figures who may be a little bit nuts but they attract gifted athletes, instill confidence in their system, and achieve great results. Squires was one of those coaching outliers who prospered right from the beginning."
-Ed Fox, "Track & Field News" publisher emeritus
THE BOOK
Read how the formation of this small track club of post-collegiate runners exploded onto the scene and became a behemoth of champions, record-setters, and international medal winners that quickly captured a steady collection of local, New England, and national titles and major marathon wins. Through oft-told and rarely told stories, anecdotes, behind-the-scenes tales, and exhaustive and detailed research and interviews, this first book to chronicle the club’s storied history celebrates the illustrious GBTC and its stunning record of achievements.
THE CLUB
The GBTC was born on August 16, 1973 at Boston College. Originally designed as a track club, it owned the relay circuit and soon expanded its domination to the roads with individual and team wins at the Boston Marathon and New York City Marathon; national championships; and Olympic and international competition. The eclectic membership has included the likes of four-time Boston and New York City Marathon winner Bill Rodgers; 1982 Boston winner Alberto Salazar; 1983 Boston winner Greg Meyer; national wheelchair champion and two-time Boston winner Bob Hall; Boston Marathon race director Dave McGillivray; US Olympic coach, Notre Dame All-American, and the first GBTC coach, Bill Squires; bestselling author (“The Perfect Storm”) and 1988 Hyannis Half-Marathon record-setter Sebastian Junger; US Olympic Trials marathoner Sara Donahue; US Olympian Anna Willard; sports nutritionist Nancy Clark; playwright Israel Horowitz; coach and USATF-NE president Tom Derderian; and more.
REVIEWS
"Clerici's book enables us to reflect on the club's contributions to the sport. Boston insularity can be endearing, and the GBTC's sheer relish in its success story makes enjoyable reading. It includes colorful characters, spicy anecdotes, and truths that any runner will value."
Roger Robinson, scholar, historian, author, "Runner’s World"
"Paul Clerici, who knows the Boston running scene as well as anyone writing today, has put together a 128-page history in pictures and text of the GBTC that is entertaining, astonishing, funny, somewhat melancholy, and filled with adventures - and more often misadventures- that redefine 'colorful.'"
Rich Benyo, author, "Marathon & Beyond" publisher
"Clerici's chronological tale, which weaves through four decades and through two running 'booms,' not only packs a great wallop of inspiring stories, but also the people who brought about and continue to make the GBTC an influential club and a standard for other clubs to follow to this day."
Jeff Benjamin, "RunBlogRun," "American Track & Field"
"I'm not a running 'junkie,' so I was surprised how much I enjoyed reading Clerici's book. I realize many people who read this book will be fans of the Greater Boston Track Club (for those of whom the book is a must read), but the good news for non-runners is you don't have to be an avid GBTC fan to enjoy the book. Clerici breathes an unexpected and lively narrative into the book, weaving both history and anecdote in the GBTC (and to the sport overall) that was unexpected in both its scope and readability. This one stays on the shelf next to my copy of 'The Impossible Dream' and 'Red Sox Nation.'"
Ken Reed, screenwriter
THE BOOK
Read how it all began in a bar; the story of a runner who swam across the harbor during the race; how legendary coach Bill Squires and his Greater Boston Track Club ignited the level of competition; how the race’s inspiration - Olympic gold medalist Frank Shorter - came to Falmouth; why the course ranged from 6.9 to 7.5 miles; how 6-time champ Joan Benoit Samuelson nearly missed running one year due to her race-morning boat ride; and much more.
This definitive and historical chronicle - the first book devoted entirely to the race - features a stunning array of stories, anecdotes, tales, and tidbits.
The entertaining and compelling story is told through vintage and race-day photographs - some of which never before published; a foreword by race founder Tommy Leonard; extensive and diligent research through personal, public, library, historical society, and Falmouth Road Race archives and records; and nearly 100 book-exclusive interviews of legendary Olympians and champions such as Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter, Alberto Salazar, Henry Rono, Joan Benoit Samuelson, Jen Rhines, Lynn Jennings, Craig Blanchette, Tatyana McFadden; organizers Tommy Leonard, John & Lucia Carroll, Rich & Kathy Sherman, Dave McGillivray, Matt Auger; longtime volunteers and sponsors; and many more.
THE RACE
The Falmouth Road Race began on August 15, 1973, the 40th birthday of race founder Tommy Leonard.
The point-to-point race from Woods Hole to Falmouth Heights in Cape Cod, Mass., has attracted international fields of world-caliber athletes, local age-groupers, national and Olympic champions, charity runners, and more.
REVIEWS
"A well-researched reference book on one of America's most beloved road races. At 134 pages, it's a quick read, but in that span Clerici packs in everything you could possibly want to know about Falmouth."
Jonathan Gault, "Let’sRun"
"Accurate, thorough, and interesting. As a 38-year co-director, I can attest to that!"
Rich Sherman, Falmouth Road Race co-race director 1973-2010
THE BOOK
Learn all about the late University of Oregon Duck Steve "Pre" Prefontaine, the legendary U.S. Olympic athlete, activist, and icon. With Forewords by Bill Dellinger (U.S. Olympic medalist; UO Duck coach) and Pat Tyson (multiple-Coach of the Year; roommate and UO Duck teammate), the book tells the story of the Oregon native through the people, stories, and sites with which he was involved. It contains many book-exclusive interviews from such luminaries as Olympians and top athletes Abdi Abdirahman, Steve Bence, Rod Dixon, Jordan Hasay, Marty Liquori, Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter, Pat Tyson, and more; diligent research and details of the many places where he competed, lived, and worked where people can visit, including among them Coos Bay (Prefontaine mural, Prefontaine Memorial, etc.), Eugene (Hayward Field, Pre's Trail, Pre's Rock, etc.), Germany (Olympic Stadium), Japan (Prefontaine Memorial); and dozens of unique and archival photos. Also read about his volunteer work to help students, penitentiary inmates; his never-ending battle against an archaic-thinking athletic governing body; and the many races, movies, monuments, and other honors in his name.
THE MAN
Born in the small town of Coos Bay, Oregon, Steve "Pre" Prefontaine's meteoric rise to cross-country and track superstardom included national recognition at his hometown Marshfield High School and then numerous state, national, and meet records at the University of Oregon, Team USA, and elsewhere. Fourth in the 1972 Munich Olympic Summer Games 5,000 meters, he never stopped striving to make his mark on the world. His life tragically ended in a 1975 car accident at the youthful age of 24, at which time he owned every American record from 2,000 to 10,000 meters and two to six miles.
REVIEWS
"It is structured chapter by chapter on Pre's ongoing impact in Oregon locations - Coos Bay, U of O, Beaverton, etc. Up against such superlative writing about Pre by Tom Jordan and Kenny Moore, that structure gives Clerici a new angle, making the book in large part a Tourist Guide to Pre Places. A handy 153 pages, it provides sight-seeing material about his high school, his grave in Sunset Cemetery, the strange story of how Pre's Rock became the shrine it now is, the history of Hayward Field, the Steve Prefontaine Building on the Nike Campus, and other places of pilgrimage. The sense of Pre as a person is fleshed out by forewords by Bill Dellinger and Pat Tyson, and quotations from Pre's sister Linda Prefontaine (the main guardian of his local legacy), John Kaegi (who recruited him for the gamma pi chapter), Rod Dixon (perceptive assessment from a friend and rival who knew how to beat Pre), and U of O teammate Steve Bence (especially in a chapter about the two movie versions of Pre's life). I also love the revelation from Rod Dixon that he invited Pre to train in New Zealand the northern winter before the 1976 Olympics."
Roger Robinson, scholar, historian, author, "Running Throughout Time"
"... author Paul Clerici captures in stunning detail. Alongside vivid race descriptions and explorations of Pre’s personal life, Clerici unearths Pre’s lesser-known side. Most famous is his ongoing battle with the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) and its insistence that American athletes pursue their sport as a self-supported activity. Less well-known is his volunteerism with motivational speaking at schools, camps, and conferences. In a time when prisons were a non-issue, Pre worked to form a running program for the inmates at Oregon State Penitentiary. Always in touch with the volatile times in which he lived, he insisted that his beloved Oregon Ducks also adopt a logo that combined a White Disney-style Duck and an Afro Duck running side by side."
Nancy Hobbs, American Trail Running Association founder; USATF Mountain, Ultra & Trail Running Council chairperson
THE BOOK
(CHINESE-LANGUAGE VERSION
SOLD IN CHINA)
"Boston Marathon History by the Mile" has been translated into Chinese by Mao Daqing and is sold in China as “Journey of the Boston Marathon,” with journey also meaning pilgrimage.
On the cover, Paul Clerici is transliterated in simplified Chinese characters (保罗·克莱里西) and traditional Chinese characters (保羅·克萊里西) and is sounded out as “bao luo” (Paul) “kuh lai lee she” (Kelailixi).
Special thanks to Ling-Mei Wong, editor of the Chinese-English “Sampan” newspaper in Boston, Mass., for providing the translation and explanation of the book cover.
China has experienced an increase of interest in running, especially the marathon.
For the first time in its history, The People's Republic of China hosted the Olympics - the 2008 Beijing Summer Games - and Zhou Chunxiu won marathon bronze for her country.
THE RACE
The Boston Marathon was first run on Patriots' Day, April 19, 1897, after competing Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) athletes returned from the 1896 Modern Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, with the idea of bringing the marathon to their B.A.A. Games in Boston, Mass. The oldest continually run marathon in the world has witnessed the famous and the infamous, national and world records, triumphs and heartaches, and has been hailed as the greatest of them all.
History of the Greater Boston Track Club (2013)
Boston Marathon History by the Mile (2014)
Journey of the Boston Marathon
(2015)
A History of the Falmouth Road Race: Running Cape Cod (2015)
Born to Coach: The Story of Bill Squires, the Legendary Coach of the Greatest Generation of American Distance Runners (2020)
Images of Modern America: The Boston Marathon (2020)
Oregon Running Legend Steve Prefontaine: In the Footsteps of the U.S. Olympic Athlete, Activist, and Icon (2022)
Boston Marathon Traditions and Lore (2024)