Patching Together Marathon Memories
Michelle Murdock, Freelance Writer | April 2014
In our previous Footprint series articles, we have talked about inspiration; inspiration for running and inspiration in education, but Hopkinton’s Marathon Footprint goes even further, touching many different aspects of life in Hopkinton. What if you are not a runner? Can you still be influenced by living in the town that hosts the start of the Boston Marathon? And can you express your pride and connection to the marathon in another way?
Several Hopkinton residents have connected to the marathon and its enduring spirit through art and one example is quilting. In 2006, the sister-city relationship between Hopkinton, Massachusetts and Marathon, Greece was established. As part of celebrating that connection, a quilt was created by Hopkinton resident Jean Bertschmann that now hangs in a museum in Marathon, Greece representing the permanent connection between the two cities.
“In 2010, in celebration of the 2,500th anniversary of the Battle of Marathon, I helped bring the Marathon Flame to Hopkinton from Marathon, Greece,” said Dimitri Kyriakides, who serves as the Goodwill Ambassador of the Municipality of Marathon. “At a ceremony on the common, the Mayor of Marathon and I were presented with a beautiful hand-made quilt. That quilt was brought back to Greece and placed in the Marathon Museum there. Since first visiting Hopkinton for the unveiling, at mile 1 on the Boston Marathon I have grown to love the people of Hopkinton and have developed some long-lasting friendships,” said Kyriakides. “In my life I treasure most the gifts that come from the hands of my friends and the Hopkinton quilt is certainly one of the most heartfelt.”
For Bertschmann, creating the quilt and having it become a permanent part of the relationship between Hopkinton and Marathon, Greece is her way of expressing her connection to Hopkinton’s Marathon Footprint.
“I’m very excited about that,” said Bertschmann. “It’s an honor. The Boston Marathon brings the whole world here. I am also amazed by the creativity that goes into quilt making, whether the product is a utilitarian piece used for warmth, or a piece of art gracing the wall of a museum.”
But Bertschmann’s quilt was not the first, nor the only quilt created with a marathon theme. In 1996, two then Hopkinton residents Cindy Rymer and Michelle Banton, created a quilt in honor of the 100th running of the Boston Marathon. The quilt depicts the area near the start line of the marathon near the Hopkinton Town Common and Gazebo, complete with footprints, flags from many different countries and signatures of runners. The quilt now hangs in the library of the Hopkins School, yet another representation of Hopkinton’s Marathon Footprint.
Rymer, now no longer a Hopkinton resident, was the founder of the Marathon Quilters Guild, a local quilting group whose focus was, and continues to be, community service.
Another quilt, created by Hopkinton resident Nancy Burdick, was inspired by her work with the Hopkinton Girl Scouts. In 2008, Burdick’s troop hosted their first “Greek Tea,” an event created to meet the requirements of the Scout’s Global Awareness badge. To earn the badge, the scouts needed to learn about Hopkinton’s sister city relationship and created the teas to promote cooperation between the cities.
“Our first ‘Tea’ was held at Weston Nurseries in 2008 and we held one in 2009 at the Hopkinton Congregational Church, one in 2010 at the State House and another in 2011 at the Hopkinton Congregational Church. Each year scouts designed a t-shirt to commemorate the event and we had some leftover. I mixed those with a few other items that I had and sewed it all up,” said Burdick.
A second quilt by Bertschmann was created more recently after last year’s Boston Marathon in an effort to boost Hopkinton’s pride in its Boston Marathon connection after the tragic events at the finish line. The quilt was presented to the 26.2 Foundation and highlights many of the marathon related events that have been created, supported and facilitated by that organization over the years.
So, once again, we have yet another example of the inspiration provided by the marathon, this time resulting in artistic expression as a way for those connected to Hopkinton to show their support, love and respect for the sport, and ultimately to become a part of Hopkinton’s marathon footprint.
