Wellesley 'Scream Tunnel' a Proud Boston Marathon Tradition

WELLESLEY, MA - On any given day the approximately 2,300 students at Wellesley College can be found scattered across the school's 500-acre campus, watching the clock move backwards as class enters its third hour, trying to remember how many days they've been cramming for that exam in the library or putting off a term paper for "just one more" episode of Friends.

But not on Marathon Monday.

On that day the women of Wellesley College file along Route 135 to cheer on the Boston Marathon runners as they pass the 13th mile, providing encouragement in the form of signs, screams and, yes, sometimes even kisses.

"It's like Christmas at Wellesley," sophomore Leilani Stacy said.

The aptly named "Scream Tunnel" is a tradition that dates back to the original Boston Marathon in 1897 when, according to legend, Wellesley students gathered along the stretch to rally around a favorite competitor from Harvard.

The movement gained traction in the 1970s after women were permitted to compete in the race and has since become a full-fledged industry at the college, with an assembly line of signs being churned out of Wellesley's Munger Hall each year.

Strategically located at the halfway point of the marathon, the deafening roar of the "tunnel" shakes runners from the fatigue that starts to set in.

"Oh, it pumps them up for sure," senior Hannah Lindow said. "People love it; it's just everyone letting loose."

Lindow said the students traditionally hold signs that say "Kiss Me, I'm a ____," and they will often get creative with what they decide to fill in the blank.

"Sophomore year mine said 'Kiss me, I'm a feminist,'" Lindow said. "I still haven't decided on what to put for this one."

Figuring out the perfect sign can be a full-time job, as Leilani Stacy learned this year. After opting out of making one as a freshman, she decided to try it out for this marathon.

"I called my dad and asked him and we spent some time brainstorming," Stacy said. "I still don't know what I'm going to say!"

Stacy added that many of the students will often tally the kisses they get from runners, and it turns into a friendly competition to see who receives the most.

But outside of the kisses, high fives, cheers and sign making, at the heart of the tradition is its ability to unify the students.

"It's definitely the best day on campus," Stacy said. "People kind of do their own thing a lot, so it's the one time everyone comes together."

Photo Credit: Zoelle Mallenbaum