Customer Reviews

Ellison "Tarzan" Brown: The Narragansett Indian Who Twice Won the Boston Marathon

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I had heard of Tarzan Brown when I was young. He seemed a mysterious character, with not much known about him. I enjoyed learning about him, what a really great runner he was in a time when 100 runners in a race was a lot. The author interviewed many of those who knew him, including his wife, and gives an idea what it must have been like to be a Narragansett Indian in those days.

For anyone who loves the freedom of running (which Tarzan did), and is interested in life in New England 70 years ago, this book is a real find. You will also learn more about Johnny Kelley (the elder), Clarence DeMar, Les Pawson, Bricklayer Kennedy, etc. This was a time when money was scarce, and runners had to be amateurs- Tarzan once won a refrigerator in a race, but he had no electricity so gave it away. At one point he won 17 races in a row; at his peak he was brilliant. He won consecutive marathons over a 2-day period, taking a night train from NY to NH to get to the 2nd one. Tarzan had quite a spirit, and I thank the author for his painstaking research.

This book is not for everyone; not even for every runner. However, it is a fascinating account of road racing in the 30's, when distance running was not a mass event, but, rather, limited to a select band of hardy "plodders", and sportswriters really got into the details of the races and the runners' lives.
The book tells the story of a young talented runner who had to juggle the love of running with the need to find work and support his family. It tells the story of every race he ran in some detail, and of his rivalry with several elite runners of the time. I like reading about races and loved it!

The name Tarzan Brown should be mentioned in the same breath as all great minority sports heroes, but unfortunately, as a certain football team from DC shows, Native Americans have never complained loud enough to get the respect they deserve. The paradox being that they deserve even more respect for not constantly lamenting their victim-hood.
Just like Jesse Owens, Tarzan Brown went to Nazi Germany for the 1936 Berlin Olympics and was featured prominently in the classic documentary 'Olympia'. All of Berlin was utterly fascinated with an Indian who wasn't shooting arrows or attacking stage coaches and although he did not win, he was a celebrity. WWII robbed Tarzan of his chance to capture an Olympic medal but he won the Boston Marathon once more in '39 and would've been a favorite in the 1940 and '44 games. He is a great American who deserves to be remembered.