The Native marathoner who conquered Boston

He broke records and inspired the name Heartbreak Hill in one of the world's most famous marathons. Now, more than 50 years after his death, travellers can learn about his legacy.

On 20 April 1936, Ellison Brown was running up a steep hill on Commonwealth Avenue. It was mile 20 of the Boston Marathon, and he was entering a critical stretch of the race. As he climbed the calf-aching 3.5% incline, there was an unexpected pat on his back. A second later, the previous year's winner, renowned runner Johnny Kelley, trotted past him. The message was clear: "Nice try, pal".

But all of a sudden, Brown surged forward. He sprinted up the half-mile hill and began a neck-and-neck battle with Kelley. The 500,000 spectators lining the course were stunned as they watched Brown cross the finish line first. Few watching had ever seen the fleet-footed 22-year-old, but soon his nickname would grace the front pages of newspapers across the country: "Tarzan" Brown.

Brown's victory was one of the biggest upsets in Boston Marathon history, and today, Kelley's unexpected loss is the reason why this fateful stretch of Commonwealth Avenue is still known as "Heartbreak Hill". Not only was Brown virtually unknown before the race, but the Narragansett tribe member was one of just a handful of Native American racers to ever compete in the world's most prestigious marathon, and the first to ever win.

Known among the Narragansett as "Deerfoot", Brown was a gifted athlete from childhood. Because of his love for running and his ability to swing from trees on a rope, Narragansett friends often compared him to the popular Edgar Rice Burroughs character, until the name "Tarzan" stuck. 

"We had no idea who 'Ellison' was," says Anna Brown-Jackson, one of Brown's 10 living grandchildren. "Everybody called him Tarzan."

Brown's 1936 Boston Marathon victory launched a groundbreaking athletic career. As one telling headline declared, he was: "Hailed as First 100 Percent American to Win Boston Marathon." Not only was Brown a champion runner, but he was also became a champion of the Narragansett people, who had been "detribalised" by the state of Rhode Island in the 1880s, along with their neighbouring nations, the Wampanoag and Niantic. 

Many historians credit Brown's fame with helping put the Narragansett people back on the map. And now, 90 years after his famous victory, he's finally receiving tangible recognition.

Brown's rise to fame 

Brown was born in Westerly, Rhode Island in 1913. He and his seven siblings grew up in desperate poverty and he left school after the seventh grade. To earn money, Brown worked largely as a farm labourer and stonemason, a trade he would continue throughout his life. Yet, his athletic prowess was evident every time he ran, and at the age of 16, he started training with local running coach Thomas Salimeno Sr, better known as "Tippy". In 1935, just after his mother Grace passed away, Brown ran in his first Boston Marathon at the age........

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