The Story of Ellison “Tarzan” Brown

Photograph courtesy of AP Images

Two hours, twenty-eight minutes and fifty-one seconds after the starting gun, Ellison “Tarzan” Brown crossed the finish line in the 1939 Boston Marathon, setting a course record and claiming his second victory in the historic race. The Westerly native, who lived much of his life in Charlestown, was a member of the Narragansett Tribe and a proud representative of the state’s champion running culture. (A second Rhode Islander,
Les Pawson, also won the race in 1933, 1938 and 1941.) In perhaps his most famous feat, Brown gave Heartbreak Hill its name when he retook the lead from defending champion Johnny Kelly after Kelly passed him on its slopes. Brown ran on to claim the 1936 victory, becoming only the second Indigenous runner to win the title.

Later this month, a group led by Brown’s nephew, Byron Brown, will dedicate a tribute to the man who was often spotted training on South County streets: a statue sculpted by local artist Serena Bates and installed at the Westerly train station. Byron says the statue will memorialize a local legend never fully awarded his due. On April 20, another tribute will recall the runner’s footsteps in a more literal way: Thawn Sherenté Harris will run the Boston Marathon in his great-uncle’s memory, commemorating the ninetieth anniversary of Brown’s Heartbreak Hill triumph. Harris hopes to bring visibility to Indigenous people and demonstrate their accomplishments for future generations. “To step in those same places that my uncle did is a blessing for me, and I think a blessing for our people as a whole,” he says. “If I cross that finish line, it is a win.”