Young at Heart: Johnny Kelley

by Frederick Lewis

A moving biography of a dynamic and charismatic athlete, who ran sixty one Boston Marathons and remains a legendary figure of perseverance and achievement in New England and throughout the running community.

208 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1992

Reviews

[Bobby Bonser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about a little known legend of running. The book contained many details about his life, but I would have liked a little bit more personal details. It read more like a race log with some personal facts in between than a truly deeply personal biography. I guess this is to be expected when running is your life. Overall very intriguing.

[Bethany Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Johnny Kelly's story IS the Boston Marathon story. What an amazing fellow and interesting historical narrative.

[Larry Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Running one marathon, in my opinion, is a feat. Running 60 is just unbelievable. He is an inspiration to all of us. He is a great example of what we recognize as the Greatest Generation.

[Stephen Gallup · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of a trio of inspirational books published by a Waco, TX company that crossed my path in the early 90s. An article about my son's uphill battle against brain injury had just appeared in Walking Magazine, and in response I was contacted by a Dr. Spence, who'd founded a publishing company to focus on uplifting stories. He sent me this and two other titles he was proud of ( Blind Courage , by Bill Irwin; and Climbing Back , by Mark Wellman, a young fellow who'd become paralyzed while rock scrambling in the mountains). Dr. Spence understood from the article that I was working on a memoir, and he wanted to discuss publishing it. We met for dinner in Anaheim, CA, and were joined by Mr. Wellman.

Anyway, Young at Heart is a fine account of the sport of marathon running, especially looking back over the years at a time when some people competed barefoot, after only a hotdog for breakfast. Johnny Kelley was among them, and was still chugging along and completing the course at an age when many people spend their days propped up in front of a tv. I remember it as being easy reading, but gave my copy to my marathon-running sister long ago.

Alas, that meeting with Dr. Spence did not go well. He brought along a hard-nosed executive who gave me a real stress interview while I was trying to eat. (Questions like "What makes you think your son deserves to be well?" were probably intended to see how well I'd perform in promoting my book, should they choose to accept it. I wasn't at all prepared for that.) Also, the manuscript I gave them no doubt did not rise to the level of inspirational reading they'd been hoping for.

That was many years ago. I see Dr. Spence is now deceased and that his company has changed its focus to books that are more strictly health-related. And I'm still dreaming of seeing my book in print.

[Koji Kawano · Rating 5 out of 5]

With its history, prestige and popularity, one would think the Race is greater than its racers. The Race – I am referring to Boston Marathon here – demands so much out of runners, alters their lifestyle, and upper handedly crashes dreams of many eager runners year after year. It is one of the most exclusive marathon races, if not the most exclusive, that there is. However, John A. Kelley who ran 60 Boston Marathons with two wins and seven second places was as great as the Race itself to many. Young at Heart beautifully illustrates and brings forth tributes to his life that captivates and inspires runners of all ages. Read more.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Johnny Kelley is amazing and this should be a book every aspiring marathoner (or half marathoner!) reads. To think that Kelley's record will probably go unbroken for a long time (60 Boston Marathons!) is mind-blowing - and he didn't even set out to be anybody special, he just set out to run. I've run part of the Boston Marathon route - it's tough. I can only imagine what it would be like to come in second 7 times and still be a good winner and persevere again the next April.

I would have loved to have met him.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

61 Boston Marathons - unreal! Johnny Kelley was one amazing dude, and he did them all for raw bragging rights...no prize money - 2 first place finishes and 7 second place finishes. He crushed Kenneth Cooper's newfangled "VO2 max" test at age 76 and was dismayed at not beating out QB Roger Staubach's number...what an athlete what a guy.

[Matt Carl]

Interesting, if not inspiring, bio of Johnny Kelly.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational insight into a race gushing with history. Every chapter is perfect!