Marathon Feature: Wellesley College Scream Tunnel

The Wellesley College Scream Tunnel is a beloved feature on the Boston Marathon course. Students line a roughly quarter mile stretch of road in front of the College starting at around mile marker 13 and motivate runners with, as Runner's World Magazine once wrote, "hoots, hollers, high-fives... even kisses!”

The Scream Tunnel is not a modern addition to the course; the tradition is over a century old and is said to be as old as the Boston Marathon itself. As the story goes, a group of Wellesley students gathered for the first marathon to cheer on a Harvard student who participated in the race, then continued to get together year after year. The ritual gained momentum in the 1970's when women were at last allowed to officially run the race.

The Scream Tunnel, which has been described as "a wall of sound" by runners, can reportedly be heard from a mile away. Come visit the Scream Tunnel at Mile 13 -- or, if you're elsewhere on the course, let us know where and if you can hear it! Tweet us @Wellesley and @WellesleyNews, or follow these accounts for Tweets and pictures from the Scream Tunnel.

If you want to know what it's like to be part of the effort, read this essay written by then senior Hayley Lenahan, class of 2012. Hayley was behind the Scream Tunnel's modern move a few years back to start using social media to connect with runners.