For Boston Marathon runners, the town of Wellesley has an important psychological marker — it's the halfway point to the finish line. But first, they have to survive the so-called Scream Tunnel at Wellesley College. Monday the rain didn’t stop the wall of cheering students.
The 13th mile of the Boston Marathon starts uphill, and then rolls downhill. Even in the rain, it’s a fairly quiet stretch from Natick into Wellesley, with a wooded area on the right-hand side of the road. For a brief time, runners are alone with their thoughts.
But soon, they won’t be able to hear themselves think.
A dull roar gets louder and louder. It’s the sound of hundreds of frenzied young women. Wellesley College students form the famous – perhaps infamous – Scream Tunnel, along the edge of campus that lines the main road into town.
“You do hit a little bit of a lull after Natick, and you’re still not quite halfway there so you’re still feeling pretty good.”
Matt Taylor is a previous Boston Marathon runner and owns a business called Tracksmith. He says if the runners don’t keep their wits about them, the cheering can be overwhelming. It’s easy to lose pace and speed up in the Scream Tunnel.
“There’s definitely this adrenaline surge that happens and that hurts a lot of people a couple miles down the road from here. But it is really unique. It’s so loud and everybody picks up the pace a little bit when they come through Wellesley.”
The students turn this day-off into an excuse to celebrate, cheer and even kiss runners. The rain doesn’t stop them.
“It’s just euphoric. It is a feeling you don’t have at other events. It is so much this one brief moment of connection you have with someone.”
Erin Altenhof-Long helped organize the Scream Tunnel. She’s a junior at Wellesley. She and her classmates made 400 signs printed with messages that runners requested via Facebook.
“My favorite sign this year is just one that says ‘Your time is now.’ I like the ones that are just inspiring. Someone wrote a note to themself saying ‘This is your year, you can do it.’ I also really like there was a Taylor Swift one that says ‘We’re feeling 26.2.’”
Junior Maria Castano is originally from Colombia, South America, and says she hadn't heard much about the Boston Marathon until she was a first-year student.
“I was asking what’s the best tradition at Wellesley? And they told me, ‘Oh, by far the Scream Tunnel.’ I had no idea what I was getting myself into, and then actually participating, it’s insane.”
The elite and runners pass with barely a smile, but the slightly less competitive notice the signs and stop for a quick kiss. Some even take selfies.
Even if they’re thrown off course for a moment or two, it’s a joyful rally of support as the runners cross the halfway mark and head into Newton, and the long stretch of hills into Boston.
