Clarence DeMar Mural

Clarence Harrison DeMar was a U.S. marathoner, winner of seven Boston Marathons, and Bronze medalist at the 1924 Paris Olympics.  In 1910, DeMar ran his first Boston Marathon and finished second place. In 1911, DeMar found a place on the Boston Marathon starting line again.  Two hours, 21 minutes, 39 seconds later, Clarence DeMar had won.

DeMar was one of the twelve members of the U.S. marathon team in the 1912 Summer Olympics.   In June 1915 DeMar received an Associate of Arts degree from Harvard while working as a printer in the Boston area.  He served in the Army during World War I before returning to the Boston area.  He won the Boston Marathon six times during the 1920s. In addition to his Boston streak, he won a bronze medal in marathoning at the French 1924 Summer Olympics. DeMar won his last Boston Marathon in 1930 at the age of 41. 

In 1929 DeMar took a job teaching printing and industrial history at Keene Normal School (now called Keene State College).  With a famous runner on staff, the male student population of the college increased dramatically, having been a female dominated campus for twenty years prior.  In addition to teaching, DeMar trained the school’s cross-country team.  

In the fall of 1934 he earned master’s degree at Boston University. In his 1937 autobiography Marathon.  At 49, he finished seventh at Boston Marathon at the age of 54. He was 69 when he ran his last race, a 15k in 1958. In 2000 he was inducted into the National Distance Running Hall of Fame. The Clarence DeMar Marathon has been held in Keene annually since 1978 in his honor. 

Mural location:

South facing Emerald St @ 99 Main St rear

Designed by:

Aaron Taylor, Brix Design Pensacola, Florida

Website:  Clarence DeMar Half Marathon

Article, “Get to know Clarence DeMar, the most dominant American in Boston Marathon’s history” by Ryan Sterner.  Citius Mag, April 16, 2017.