2 min readA three-mile loop trail in Rhode Island will honor Ellison “Tarzan” Brown, a two-time Boston Marathon champion who gave Heartbreak Hill its name.
Brown, who won the Boston Marathon in 1936 and 1939 and represented the United State at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, trained on the trails and back roads of Charlestown, Rhode Island, where he was known as Deerfoot and a member of the Narragansett tribe, according to The Boston Globe.
The loop trail is part of the Nature Conservancy’s Carter Preserve in Charleston.
Brown’s family gathered for a dedication ceremony last weekend.
“It is wonderful to see uncle Tarzan and his family be acknowledged here today,” said Thawn Harris, Brown’s great-nephew. “It has been far too long since the town, the state, people recognized or acknowledged that we are still here.”
Brown, who was subject to discrimination and less recognition than his white competitors, according to the Globe, is legendary, not only for his marathon wins, but for giving Heartbreak Hill its name.
The story goes, that in 1936, when Brown was leading the race, Johnny “the Elder” Kelley ran up behind him on the Newton Hill and tapped his shoulder, as if to say, “I’ll take it from here.” Brown was reinvigorated, dug deep, and surged ahead to win. The move, they say, broke Kelley’s heart.
The boulder that sits at the entrance to Brown’s trail has a plaque that reads, “This trail honors the life and legacy of Ellison M. ‘Tarzan’ Brown, a member of the Narragansett Indian Tribe and a resident of Charlestown. Known as Deerfoot, he won the Boston Marathon in 1936 and 1939, and competed for the United States in the Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany in 1936.”
The project was funded by the Nature Conservancy in Rhode Island and the Charlestown Parks and Recreation Commission.
According to the Globe’s report, John Torgan, state director of the Nature Conservancy in Rhode Island, said the group is grateful to be able to remember Brown “as a marathoner, as a family man and leader, and as an important member of this community...[in Charlestown]...a place he loved, a place he lived for many years.”
Heather is the former food and nutrition editor for Runner’s World, the author of The Runner’s World Vegetarian Cookbook, and a nine-time marathoner with a best of 3:23. She’s also proud of her 19:40 5K and 5:33 mile. Heather is an RRCA certified run coach.
