Boston’s Gibb statue unveiled
Bobbi Gibb, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon, is being honored with a statue near the race’s starting line — and she sculpted it herself, making it the first statue of a woman along the course and the only one created by its subject. The announcement landed as the 2026 race spotlights runners’ stories and course commemorations. (wbur.org)
The work is titled “The Girl Who Ran” and the artist and project pages describe it as a life‑size bronze figure. (grlarchitects.com) A public ribbon‑cutting is scheduled for Friday, March 27, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at the corner of Main Street and Hayden Rowe Street in Hopkinton. (hopkintonma.gov) The installation sits on private property at 2 Hayden Rowe Street with property owner Tom Carey granting permission for the sculpture and a small visitor crescent to be built beside it. (hopkintonindependent.com) Project organizers say $20,000 in grant funding was secured by Representative James Arena‑DeRosa for the sculpture’s site work, and Gorman Richardson Lewis Architects designed the surrounding exterior space. (hopkintonindependent.com) The 26.2 Foundation coordinated the sculpture project and lists an advisory committee of marathon champions including Joan Benoit Samuelson, Frank Shorter, Deena Kastor, Meb Keflezighi, Bill Rogers, and Amby Burfoot. (bobbigibbart.net, 26-2.org) Hopkinton’s calendar ties the installation into a series of local events: the town manager’s update links the statue to 26.2 Foundation programming and nearby HCA activities such as a “Stories & Songs” presentation on April 2 and a Marathon Quilt Guild show April 11–12. (hopkintonma.gov) The 26.2 Foundation notes that the organization has previously commissioned marathon‑themed bronzes in Hopkinton — including the 12‑foot “Spirit of the Marathon” installed in 2006 and other life‑size pieces installed between 2008 and 2013. (26-2.org) The artist’s project page says fundraising for the sculpture drew primarily on modest donations from women’s running supporters worldwide and that 12‑inch bronze replicas and related books are available for purchase. (bobbigibbart.net)
