Kiss the Girls

Georgie Porgie, Puddin' and Pie,
Kissed the girls and made them cry.
When the boys came out to play
Georgie Porgie ran away.

The Kiss and Run Fusion Model

Even if you've never run the Boston Marathon, you know the legend of Wellesley College.  Runners worldwide have heard tales about the deafening roar that greets you between miles 12 and 13.

For decades, stories about the country's oldest marathon have been written, and they usually include references to the staples of the course, and its legends - Bill Rogers, Johnny Kelly, Rick and Dick Hoyt, Heartbreak Hill, Boylston Street, and the Scream Tunnel of Wellesley College.

On the course, you can hear the cacophony about a half mile before you even reach the outskirts of the prestigious college.  As you approach, you can see the foot traffic start to bottleneck, and if you're a Boston rookie runner, you might not be sure what's causing it.

And then suddenly, you see, hear and experience one of the undisputed highest apexes of the 26.2 mile course, when the Wellesley College students take a much-needed break from their arduous studies and line up against the metal stanchions that keep them safely barricaded from the runners.

Literally, a wall of screaming coeds line the quarter mile of the course, motivating the river of runners with their shrieks, their high-fives, and for the purposes of this blog entry, their voluntary kisses.  The Wellesley Scream Tunnel is always a highlight of the race, and this year for Andrew, it was his marathon mecca.

Their signs read "Kiss me, I'm Italian."  "Kiss me, I like to Score. (Lacrosse)."  "Kiss me, my dad is paying for my tuition."  And so on.

There's Even a Book About it

All Andrew needed to see was the "kiss me" green lights.

Yes, you want her
Look at her you know you do
Possible she wants you too,
There is one way to ask her.
It don't take a word,
Not a single word, go on and
Kiss the Girl
(Sing wit' me now)

And so, for your edification, in an attempt to make you feel as though you were actually there for the Scream Tunnel and Kissing Corridor, I present a 20-year-old's photo gallery of the best five minutes of his Marathon Monday.  And maybe even his year.

And yeah, with one exception, his old man got into the action.  But that's because this Wellesleyian and her sister have been a staple of our Marathon runs for more than six years.  Alex and Nicole Hatem, our Lowell neighbors, have both attended Wellesley College and have been leading the charge into battle on Marathon Mondays every time we've run past.  Last year, Nicole jumped in and ran with us.  This year, she took pity on an old man, and planted one on me. 

To Nicole and Alex - thanks for the years of screams! 

And to Andrew, no, you can't just jump in next year at mile 12 and run to mile 13.  You have to earn these smooches.