VLAMERTINGE, Belgium (AP) – At the Vlamertinge Military Cemetery in Flanders Fields, the headstone of James Duffy usually stands unnoticed among the solemn rows.
But one century after his death and in the days leading up to Monday’s Boston Marathon, Duffy’s grave has been honored with a scattering of wooden memento crosses, the drawing of an athlete, and a running bib.
“Died fighting for liberty – Ex-long distance champion runner of Scotland” is chiseled in stone. Yet to his family, what stands out is Duffy’s win in the 1914 Boston Marathon and his death one year later, almost to the day, amid some of the worst violence of World War I.
On Monday, Maureen Kiesewetter will don bib No. 23149 and run the Boston Marathon in honor of her great-great uncle.
“Last year we were able to celebrate his win. This year we will remember his passing and his sacrifice,” she said.