Boston Marathon Music Maker Inspires Runners Headed into Brookline

BROOKLINE - Just as Boston Marathon runners turn the corner after hitting Cleveland Circle and Beacon Street, they're hitting the home stretch. They've made it up and over Heartbreak Hill, but it's not quite sprint time yet. That inner battle can be a hard one, and a number of runners lose steam in those last couple miles through Brookline.

That's where Katie Bell comes in. She's made it her mission to help give a little extra boost to runners in need. Bell's got her Brookstone speaker hooked up, sitting right under the "Welcome To Brookline" flags on Beacon Street and it's blaring two very specific songs to do the trick.

"We're playing only Boston songs, for the people who really need it. It's 'Sweet Caroline' and 'Shipping up to Boston,' on repeat," said Bell who works at Children's Hospital.

That's right. She plays two songs on repeat. For six hours. It's not for the spectators, she clarifies. It's for the runners.

(Subscribe now to Brookline Patch Newsletter for local news all the time)

Last year Bell came out to the same spot and saw how many runners seemed to just need a little extra help as they were entering Brookline. That's when she got the idea to get her speaker and help with a little musical inspiration from the Dropkick Murphys and Neil Diamond. She had her speaker programmed to just those two songs for six hours, she says.

"You turn the corner and this is the home stretch. This is for people who need every bit of help they can get," she says.

Photos by Jenna Fisher