How a dog was blamed for ruining the 1961 Boston Marathon

Boston Globe

18-04-2025

'Kelley Spilled by Dog,'
The Boston Herald
.
In an era before fences along the side of the route were ubiquitous, the presence of a dog could have a major impact on a high-level race. And that's exactly what happened in 1961, though its human protagonist never wavered from gallantly arguing that the dog had no impact on the ultimate result.
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In fact, the bizarre incident inspired an ironic outcome: The race's winner arguably emerged as the least heroic of the podium finishers, even as he stamped his authority on the final mile with a dominant finishing kick.
Ahead of the April 19 marathon race date, the competition between Kelley and Oksanen deservedly
Kelley, 30, and Oksanen, 29, had dueled before, with the Finn winning the earlier race in 1959. Kelley, known as 'Kelley the Younger' (to differentiate him with John A. Kelley, winner of Boston in 1935 and 1945), had triumphed in 1957.
Both were considered to be at their peak and looked expectantly at the chance to be crowned with another wreath at the finish line.
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It was also the continuation of a still relatively new dynamic in Boston: international winners. Prior to 1946, there had only been two non-North American champions. But starting with
'Kel vs. the Finns,'
Kelley, a Connecticut high school English teacher, was the local favorite.
Conditions on the day of the marathon were notable for being unusually cold and wintry. Snow flurries, a relatively rare sight for the Boston Marathon, made the already difficult journey from Hopkinton even tougher for the field of 165 runners.
Yet very quickly, it became apparent that pre-race prognosticators who had foreseen a second Oksanen vs. Kelley duel were correct. Both runners looked composed and strong, with Kelley taking an early lead and setting a higher tempo to whittle down potential challengers.
Joining the duo was a dwindling pack that included Englishman Fred Norris, a 39-year-old veteran of multiple Olympics. Norris's
The drama continued to escalate, especially when most surprising member of the leading group joined approximately around mile six.
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A '
The Daily Record
) jumped in to run with the pack, leading them as a would-be pace-setter. The dog was described as possibly being a black Labrador retriever, though accounts differed.
The dog that set the pace for part of the 1961 Boston Marathon, with Johnny Kelley and Eino Oksanen following behind.
AP Wire
For a seemingly impossible distance of roughly 10 miles, the dog happily led the Norris-Oksanen-Kelley group. Then, as the trio approached the fatefully-named Lower Newton Falls, disaster struck.
According to
Collapsed in a heap on the ground, Kelley looked for a moment as if his race was over. But as if in answer to the already improbable circumstances of a dog playing a central role, another completely unexpected event occurred.
Norris stopped to help his competitor.
'Norris did an instinctive act which marked him instantly as a great gentleman,' wrote Nason. 'The 39-year-old alumnus of the British coal mines stopped, turned back, and helped the floundering Kelley to his feet.'
'It happened so fast,' Norris later told Brown. 'I hardly had time to think. [Kelley] looked as if he was down to stay, and he'd been running such a good race. So I grabbed him and shouted, like a command, 'Get up!' It snapped him out of the shock, and he was running right away.'
Oksanen, who had successfully hurdled the dog, continued unimpeded.
'He did not even turn his head to see what damage he been wrought by the canine twister which struck the threesome,' Nason wrote.
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But thanks to Norris's help, Kelley — adrenaline pumping — surged back into the race and quickly caught up to the Finn.
Unfortunately for the Englishman, the act may have cost him. Having broken his concentration, and combined with the extra exertion right before the Newton hills, Norris suffered in the ensuing miles and fell back from the two leaders, eventually finishing third.
Kelley, having regained his pre-fall status as the race leader, navigated most of the remaining course with Oksanen once again tucked just off his shoulder.
It wasn't until the runners were less then a mile from the finish that Oksanen made his move.
'It was directly at Charlesgate West, with 1,000 yards to journey, that Oksanen reached down into his physical resources and pulled forth a weary sprint,' Nason recounted.
Oksanen, as he had done in 1959, overcame Kelley right near the end.
The Finn 'simply had too much power for me at that stage,' Kelley admitted. For the fourth time, Kelley finished in second place. He would total five second-place finishes during his distinguished Boston career.
The dog dominated post-race discussion. Oksanen, sympathetic to Kelley, took a harsh line.
'Kelley's a tough man to beat. They should have shot the dog that knocked him down,' he
But despite Oksanen's words, Kelley — himself a dog owner — was entirely sympathetic.
Johnny Kelley and the mystery dog from the 1961 Boston Marathon.
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'Falling was a little shock, made the adrenaline run a little faster, but it didn't cost me the race,' he
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Later, Kelley again took the dog's side against critics.
'He was a such a happy, spirited dog, and he seemed to be having such a good time.'
The other thing Kelley recognized after the race — aside from crediting Oksanen's strength — was the conduct of Norris for helping him up after the fall.
'What a tremendous act of sportsmanship,' he
'I wonder, had the situation been reversed, if I would have done the same for him? I like to think I would—but in the heat of a hard foot race you're tempted to say, 'Well, those are the racing breaks.''
As for the dog, it was
'Unfortunately,'
Hayden Bird can be reached at