Sir Son`s Patriotism Will Never Be Forgotten

"Son Gi-jung was my dearest friend. He was a sentimental man with probity. We always used to laugh with joy in Berlin when we ran downtown and adjusted our conditions. I used to tell Son that he looked very strong, and after all, he won."

“Boston Hero” John A Kelly (96) flashed a light grin as he talked about his memories of 68 years ago in Berlin, 1936.

Senior Kelly had participated as a runner representing the United States and ended up in 18th place at the Berlin Olympics where the deceased Son Gi-jung took the gold medal. He is the very person who took Son`s match-used running shoes as he said to Son after the competition: "Why don`t you hand me over your shoes. Then I think I could make good records."

Sir Kelly won the Boston Marathon two times during 1935 to 1945 and until 1992, he participated in the event 61 times (finishing in 58 of them) and recorded seven second place finishes and made the top 10 18 times, earning the title of “Living Legend."

We met Kelly at the Fairmont Copley Square Hotel in Boston on the 19th, a day before the opening of the 108th Boston Marathon. Onlookers noticed him as they greeted him, saying, "Hello, our hero Mr. Kelly," as he waved to each and one of them.

"Son Gi-jung always resolutely said that he was a Korean, not a Japanese."

He clearly remembered Sir Son’s strong patriotism.

"The reason why I took the shoes was because they were well separated between the great toe and the rest of the toes and because of their lightness. Later on, Son sent me 2 more pairs, which I used well. I wore his shoes until they were worn out before disposing of them." commented Sir Kelly.

Boston Athletic Association vice president Gloria G. Ratti said, "At the time around Berlin Olympics, the shoes made in the USA were heavy so the American runners asked for others, and Sir Kelly might had been in that category."

"After I came back from Berlin, I wrote to Son four times and asked him to participate in the Boston Marathon. Son brought some elite runners to clinch another championship, so he also succeeded as a instructor," said Kelly.

Sir Son entered his student Seo Hoon-bok in the 51st Boston Marathon in 1947 at Sir Kelly`s persuasion. He accomplished a fascinating world record win with a finish time of 2 hours 25 minutes and 39 seconds. Also in 1950, Sir Son made Hahm Gi-yong, Song Gil-yoon and Choi Yoon-chil took 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, and gave a great deal of publicity to the world of great Korean marathoners.

"Two years ago when I heard Son passed away, I was sad but that`s life. If we were to be reborn, and meet each other, we could be good friends again. But if we raced again, it would come off as a tough match." said Kelly.

He`s almost facing his 100th birthday, but Sir Kelly`s voice was active. His finished his last race when he was 84 and from then on he has participated in the opening ceremony of the Boston Marathon every year.

Jong-Koo Yang yjongk@donga.com