'Tarzan' Brown Statue Gives Recognition to the Narragansett Indian Who Twice Won the Boston Marathon

Jan 2, 2026

Ellison "Tarzan" Brown never received the recognition he deserved after winning the Boston Marathon in 1936 and 1939, advocates say. Nor was Brown, a Narragansett Indian from Westerly, really recognized for competing in the 1936 Olympics, they say.

But now, Serena Bates has completed a life-size bronze statue of Brown, who gave rise to the name "Heartbreak Hill" when he beat Johnny Kelley in the 1936 Boston marathon, breaking the Massachusetts legend's heart on the course's Newton hills.

The 67-inch-tall, 280-pound statue is now on exhibit at the Artists Cooperative Gallery of Westerly, inside the former train station in the heart of this coastal town.
CREDIT: Boston Globe.

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