1961 Boston Marathon

The 1961 Boston Marathon took place on Wednesday, April 19, 1961. It was the 65th time the Boston Marathon was organized. Contemporary news sources noted there were 231 registered runners, with 165 actually starting the event. It was the coldest weather for the race since the 1925 edition, at 39 °F (4 °C).

The race was won by Eino Oksanen of Finland in 2:23:29. American John J. Kelley finished second, 25 seconds behind, and British runner Frederick Norris finished third, nearly two minutes later. There were 101 runners that finished the race, all men.

This edition of the marathon is remembered for an incident in Newton Lower Falls, approximately 16 miles (26 km) into the race, when a dog that had been running with the athletes knocked down John J. Kelley. In an act of sportsmanship, Frederick Norris stopped and helped Kelley get up. Kelley recovered well enough to lead the race until he was overtaken by Eino Oksanen with approximately 1,000 yards (910 m) left. After the race, Kelley refused to blame the dog for his defeat.