Boston Marathon Memorial
Artist:
Location:
Location
Neighborhood:
Type:
Year:
Medium:
Collection:
Funders:
Description:
Situated in Copley Square, adjacent to the finish line of the Boston Marathon, this memorial celebrates the race’s 100th running. At first, the memorial might be easy to miss: instead of rising up vertically, like most of the sculptures this tour highlights, the memorial consists primarily of granite patterns set into the ground. The central medallion traces the marathon’s course from the suburb of Hopkinton to Boston’s Back Bay, and an elevation map shows off its notoriously difficult hills. Around this central medallion are inscribed the names of the marathon’s winners, including Bobbi Gibb. Initially disguised as a man, she first ran the marathon in 1966 when women, thought to not be physiologically capable, were not yet allowed to enter the race. Depictions of the diverse runners of the Boston Marathon are captured in bronze reliefs on posts around the medallion.