1910
Canadian Fred Cameron from Amherst, Nova Scotia, stole the race in 2:28:52 by slipping out front early and never being seriously challenged.

This race marked the first appearance by the legendary Clarence H. DeMar, who made a late rush over the final half of the race to end up second, one minute behind Cameron. DeMar would go on to win this race a record seven times.

Defending champion Henri Renaud was 24th, while 1902 winner Sammy Mellor finished 34th.

1. Fred Cameron — Amherst, Nova Scotia;
2. Clarence H. DeMar — Melrose, Massachusetts;
3. James Cockery — Canada.

 

1911
Clarence H. DeMar, competing against the wishes of doctors who told him not to run because they had detected a heart murmur, smashed Tom Longboat’s course record with a superb 2:21:39 performance.

This was the first of DeMar’s seven Boston wins. However, following his doctor’s advice, he would not compete again until 1917. DeMar trailed the leaders by upwards of 250 yards before finally pulling away from the halfway leader Festus Madden at Newtonville.

1. Clarence H. Demar – Melrose, Massachusetts;
2. Festus Madden — Massachusetts;
3. Alexis Ahlgren -¬New York.

 

1912
U.S. Olympic-bound marathoner Mike Ryan ran through the mud and slush to take down DeMar’s year-old record by 21 seconds with a course mark of 2:21:18, under very unfavorable conditions.
Ryan was content to let Yale freshman Johnny Gallagher set the early pace. As Gallagher tired near Cleveland Circle, Andrew Sockalexis, a young Indian runner from Old Town, Maine, took over the lead. Ryan caught Sockalexis two miles from the finish and won by 34 seconds.

1. Mike Ryan — New York;
2. Andrew Sockalexis — Maine;
3. Festus Madden — South Boston.

 

1913
For the second consecutive year the “Maine Indian” Andrew Sockalexis was the runnerup. Knowing that he had raced too hard in the early going the previous year, he let Swedish-born Fritz Carlson set the early pace.

Carlson was four minutes ahead of Sockalexis with four miles remaining as the runners hit Cleveland Circle. Carlson withstood a brave rush by Sockalexis over the final few miles but the gap was too much for Sockalexis to overcome. Carlson won in 2:25:14.

1. Fritz Carlson — Minneapolis;
2. Andrew Sockalexis — Maine;
3. Harry Smith -¬New York.

 

1914
The Canadians were again back on top as James Duffy from Hamilton, Ontario, defeated countryman Edouard Fabre from Montreal by just 60 yards in 2:25:01.

It was overcast and very humid as Fabre wrested the lead from Willie Kyronen, the Finnish-born New Yorker, on Heartbreak Hill leading to Boston College. Duffy followed in close pursuit and during the stretch run on Beacon Street in Brookline the lead changed four times between Duffy and Fabre before Duffy pulled away for the narrow victory.

1. James Duffy — Hamilton, Ontario;
2. Edouard Fabre — Montreal;
3. Willie Kyronen Finland/New York.

 

1915
On another unseasonably warm day with the temperature hitting 84 degrees, Edouard Fabre, the sturdy French-Canadian who was second the previous year, hung on to win in 2:31:41.

With one third of the starters dropping out, Fabre ran behind the lead runners in the early going and did not take the lead until Kenmore Square, one mile from the finish.

Fabre passed Haverhill’s Cliff Horne, who had taken over the lead with just 2 1/4 miles remaining. Horne began to wobble from the effects of the intense heat as Fabre held on for the victory.

1. Edouard Fabre — Montreal;
2. Cliff Horne — Haverhill, Massachusetts;
3. Sidney Hatch -¬Chicago.

 

1916
The Boston Marathon found a hometown hero as Arthur Roth (2:27:16) of Roxbury became the first Boston resident to win the race. The 23-year-old draftsman broke from the field at 10 miles and built up a three-minute, seventeen-second lead as the runners headed into the Newton hills at 17 miles.

Runnerup Willie Kyronen of Finland put on a late burst over the final six miles, closing the gap to 42 seconds at the finish. Totally spent, Roth collapsed as he crossed the finish line and had to be carried off the roadway by race officials.

1. Arthur Roth — Roxbury, Massachusetts;
2. Willie Kyronen — New York/Finland;
3. Sydney Hatch — Chicago.

 

1917
New York bricklayer Bill Kennedy stunned a highly-competitive field that included Finnish favorites Hannes Kolehmainen and Willie Kyronen. The oldest winner of the race to date at age 35, Kennedy overtook the Finns at the halfway juncture in Wellesley and held off a brief challenge from Hans Schuster at Newton Lower Falls to claim the victory in 2:28:37 over runnerup Sidney Hatch.

The race was marked by the reappearance of Clarence DeMar, who ran for the first time since his victory in the 1911 race. DeMar placed third in 2:31:05 with a quick finish over the latter stages of the race.

1. Bill Kennedy — Port Chester, New York;
2. Sidney Hatch — Chicago;
3. Clarence H. DeMar — Melrose, Massachusetts.

 

1918
The traditional Patriots Day race was cancelled this year due to the American involvement in World War I. Instead, a 10-man military relay race was run over the course. The team from Camp Devens in Ayer, Massachusetts, won the race.

 

1919
Another local runner took home top honors as the traditional BAA race resumed following the War — Quincy’s Carl Linder, the New England javelin and decathlon champion, who had been rejected for military service because of flat feet.

With less than 2 1/2 miles remaining, Linder passed Chicago’s Frank Gillespie, who had led from the Natick checkpoint. Gillespie, his feet a mass of blisters and blood from his new racing shoes, could not respond to Linder’s challenge. Linder finished in 2:29:13.

Runnerup Willie Wick, at 4 feet, 10 1/2 inches, was the smallest ever to finish the Boston course.

1. Carl Linder — Quincy, Massachusetts;
2. Willie Wick — Massachusetts.;
3. Otto Laakso — Finland/New York.

 

1920
Greek National Peter Trivoulidas, a New York bus boy, was running in eighth place, three minutes behind leader Jimmy Henigan, as he entered the Newton hills. Meanwhile, 1916 winner Arthur Roth of Roxbury overtook Henigan, who was beset with cramps and eventually withdrew from the race.

Roth again tried to steal the race by building up a large lead. But as he again began to wobble near Kenmore Square, Trivoulidas was ready and easily overtook Roth to win in 2:29:31.

1. Peter Trivoulidas — Greece/New York;
2. Arthur Roth – Roxbury, Massachusetts.

 

1921
New Jersey plumber Frank Zuna smashed the course record of 1912 winner Mike Ryan with a powerful 2:18:57 performance, upsetting defending champion Peter Trivoulidas, who finished third.
Zuna left his sidekick, Chuck Mellor (2:22:12), on the first of the Newton hills and ran uncontested to the finish.

1. Frank Zuna — Newark, New Jersey;
2. Chuck Mellor — Chicago;
3. Peter Trivoulidas -¬Greece.

 

1922
This was the second of Clarence DeMar’s victories. It was also the beginning of the DeMar era which saw the Melrose printer and church volunteer score a string of five wins during the next eight years, including three consecutive victories beginning this year.

At age 33, DeMar established a permanent record (2:18:10) for the 24 1/2-mile course, which was abandoned two years later in favor of the standard 26-mile, 385-yard Olympic distance.
Medford’s Jimmy Henigan battled DeMar from mile seven through 20, but DeMar was able to pull away on the downgrade past Boston College, where Henigan dropped out.

1. Clarence H. Demar — Melrose, Massachusetts;
2. Villa Ritola — Finland;
3. Albert Smoke — Ontario, Canada.

 

1923
This was the second of DeMar’s three consecutive wins (2:23:37) and the last race run at the 24 1/2 mile distance.

He held off the late challenge of 1921 winner Frank Zuna after taking the lead from Whitey Michelson at Cleveland Circle. Willie Carlson of Chicago closed fast over the latter stages of the race to finish third, ahead of the fading Michelson.

1. Clarence H. DeMar — Melrose, Massachusetts;
2. Frank Zuna — New Jersey;
3. Willie Carlson — Chicago.

 

1924
DeMar completed a three-year sweep with a 2:29:40 performance.

The race course was lengthened to what was thought to be 26 miles, 385 yards, in order to comply with the standard Olympic marathon distance. However, upon remeasurement in 1927, the course was found to be 176 yards short of the official distance.

DeMar was strong throughout his ’24 effort, defeating runnerup Chuck Mellor of Illinois by more than five minutes.

1. Clarence H. DeMar — Melrose, Massachusetts;
2. Chuck Mellor — Illinois;
3. Frank Werdling.

 

1925
Chicagoian Chuck Mellor succeeded in his fifth attempt, winning the Boston race in 2:33:00 and spoiling DeMar’s bid for a fourth consecutive title.

Running with a wad of tobacco tucked inside his cheek and the morning edition of the Boston Globe placed inside the front of his shirt to serve as a windbreaker, Mellor finally edged away from DeMar on Beacon Street, within two miles of the finish.

1. Chuck Mellor — Illinois;
2. Clarence H. DeMar — Melrose, Massachusetts;
3. Frank Zuna — New Jersey.

 

1926
A 19-year-old delivery boy, John C. Miles of Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia, upset Olympic champion Albin Stenroos of Finland and course record-holder DeMar.

Miles ran in dogged pursuit of the Olympic champion, finally catching up with the gold medalist at Boston College, where Stenroos was slowed by a side stitch.

Miles slashed four minutes from DeMar’s ’24 record with a stunning 2:25:40 performance.

1. John C. Miles — Nova Scotia;
2. Albin Stenroos — Finland;
3. Clarence H. DeMar — Melrose, Massachusetts.

 

1927
The course was lengthened to the full marathon distance (26 miles, 385 yards) as DeMar once again showed his superiority with a course record of 2:40:22 to gain his fifth victory.

Just shy of his 39th birthday and running in 82-degree heat, DeMar led at every checkpoint en route to claiming the National AAU title this year.

1. Clarence H. DeMar — Melrose, Massachusetts;
2. Karl Koski — Finland;
3. Bill Kennedy — New York.

 

1928
Aggressive racing by DeMar once again earned him back-to-back victories and his sixth win (2:37:07) as the field grew to 254 runners.

DeMar took over in Natick, 10 miles into the race, with Philadelphia’s Bill Wilson nagging at his heels until 18 1/2 miles. DeMar ran all alone the remainder of the way as celebrated miler Joey Ray finished third.

1. Clarence H. DeMar – Melrose, Massachusetts;
2. Jimmy Henigan — Medford, Massachusetts;
3. Joey Ray — Illinois.

 

1929
John C. Miles, the ’26 champion, returned with a course record performance of 2:33:08.

The 22-year-old Miles, who had been forced to drop out at five miles the year before, waged a tough battle with Whitey Michelson from miles 13 through 23 before pulling away on Beacon Street.
Finns Karl Koski and Willie Kyronen closed fast to catch Michelson in the final miles.

1. John C. Miles — Ontario, Canada;
2. Karl Koski — Finland;
3. Villar Kyronen — Finland/New York.

 

1930
DeMar chalked up his seventh and final victory on a hot and humid afternoon in 2:34:48. At age 41, DeMar became the oldest runner ever to win Boston.

DeMar locked into the pace set by Buffalo’s Hans Oldag for 16 miles and then began to pull away on the Newton hills at record pace.

DeMar lost his bid for the record over the final miles, but easily finished ahead of runnerup Villar Kyronen, a Finnish-born New Yorker.

1. Clarence H. DeMar — Melrose, Massachusetts;
2. Willie Kyronen — Finland/New York;
3. Karl Koski — Finland.