Marathon Connections
Michelle Murdock, Freelance Writer | November 2014
“It all starts here”; a familiar phrase in Hopkinton and the town’s claim to fame as the start line of the Boston Marathon. But through the work of the 26.2 Foundation, Hopkinton also has ties to another marathon – Marathon, Greece, where in 490 B.C. the soldier Pheidippides ran from a battlefield in Marathon to Athens, bringing news of a Greek victory over the Persians. His run is credited as the inspiration for the creation of the marathon, one of the original modern Olympic events in 1896.
In 2006, Hopkinton established a sister city relationship with Marathon, Greece. In 2008, the Marathon Flame was officially gifted to the town of Hopkinton and now has a permanent home here, the only other place besides Greece where it burns perpetually. In 2009, the 26.2 Foundation was recognized as the owner and caretaker of the statue of Stylianos Kyriakides that sits at the 1-mile mark of the Boston Marathon at Weston Nurseries. The statue commemorates Kyriakides win in the 1946 Boston Marathon and how he used that win to raise funds for the people of his country that were starving in Greece after the Nazi occupation. The statue, known as the “Spirit of the Marathon” was commissioned by the New Balance Athletic Shoe Company, sculpted by Miko Kaufman and dedicated in 2006 to mark the 60th anniversary of Kyriakides victory in the 1946 race. And in 2010, Dimitri Kyriakides, son of Stylianos Kyriakides, became a member of the 26.2 Foundation Board of Directors, which now includes members on two continents.
This year, as part of the “26.2 Desire to Inspire” educational initiative at the Hopkinton Middle School, an interdisciplinary curriculum that includes class lessons, enrichments, guest speakers, fundraisers, sports and competitions – all tied to the spirit of the Marathon, the connection with Greece continues. As part of the annual Boston Marathon Wreath Ceremony, a tradition started in 1984 where the Greek Consulate of Boston presents the Boston Athletic Association with olive branch wreaths to crown the winners of the Boston Marathon, two student winners from each middle school grade of the 2014 Marathon Essay Contest will be recognized by the Consul General of Greece, Ifigenia Kanara and Nicholas Kourtis of the Alpha Omega Council.
The tradition of the Boston Marathon Wreath Ceremony was established in 1984 and involved several groups, including Greek Consul General Christos Panagopoulos, the current Greek Ambassador to the United States, the Boston Athletic Association and the Alpha Omega Council. Three Hopkinton residents, Tom Brown, Harold Rathburn and Tim Kilduff, were members of the B.A.A. Board of Directors at that time. Each wreath is hand made in Marathon, Greece, by craftsmen who first harvest olive branches from olive trees near the Tomb of the Athenians. Buried in the tomb are Greek soldiers who gave their lives in the Battle of Marathon more than 2,500 years ago.
“The wreaths are donated to honor the humanitarian spirit and the universal language of running that binds all people globally,” said Dimitri Kyriakides.
Kyriakides also serves as the Goodwill Ambassador worldwide for the Municipality of Marathon, Greece, helping to spread the history of the city and the marathon run. He is also an honorary citizen of the town of Hopkinton. It is through the connection to Kyriakides and his connection to Hopkinton, the sister city of Marathon, Greece, that what we call Hopkinton’s Marathon Footprint, is extended outward. And through those connections, Hopkinton’s special place in marathon history as the start line of the Boston Marathon, can be shared throughout the world.
“Once a year people come and run marathons here, but that once a year stays in people’s memories for the rest of their lives,” said Kilduff, “and it all starts here in Hopkinton.”
