Heartbreak Hill, MA – Runners who come out to test themselves along the Boston Marathon course in Newton have recently found a little extra motivation for the hills ahead, courtesy of an unexpected cheerleader. Meet Heartbreak Bill: a friendly gorilla who makes it his mission to provide runners with encouragement and high-fives at the corner of Centre Street and Comm Ave, right outside of his home at the Heartbreak Hill Running Company. I decided to head in to HHRC to find out for myself just who is this Heartbreak Bill.
Heartbreak Bill chilling at the corner of Commonwealth Ave. and Centre St. in Newton, his current home at Mile 20 on the Boston Marathon course.
Turns out Heartbreak Bill has been a regular at the store for the past few months, initially coming onto the scene to cheer on the runners of the Newton Chilly Half Marathon back in November. He can be seen sporting his favorite blue and green HHRC T-Shirt while on the job and while out supporting the runners. I thought it a bit strange at first, hiring a gorilla to do a human’s job, but after speaking with the staff, it seems that for this monkey it is all business as usual.
In talking with store co-owner, Dan Fitzgerald, he admits some hesitancy in first getting to know Bill. “The job interview did not go so well,” said Fitzgerald. “Bill pretty much sat there scratching his underarms and making growling noises. But, his enthusiasm for the sport was unmatched, so we decided to give him a shot.”
Brielle Chabot, store manager, had quite a different first impression. “I was excited to have Bill on board,” said Chabot. “It is good for us to finally have a real manly man around here! Bill can do twice the heavy lifting and, I’ll admit, look good doing it!”
Employee #1, Mike Keebler, added still another thought. “I’ll say I was a bit jealous of Bill at first. He did join the staff with a Firehouse PR of 57 minutes, which is just faster than mine. But, it has been nice to have him around to motivate me to work harder, run faster and eat more bananas.”
The Red Cross Boston Marathon Team with Heartbreak Bill at Heartbreak Hill Running Company
In just these few months Heartbreak Bill has become a key part of the team at Heartbreak Hill Running Company. His presence has helped the staff to strive for excellence. His persistence in cheering has helped thousands of runners get through some very tough miles. His good-natured gorilla spirit has gained for him many friends in the running community here in Boston, and keeps them coming back out for more.
But where did Bill come from and how did he end up here?….
Bill was most recently seen at the Walk for Hunger on May 5th, 2013. Tag yourself in the latest Bill albums on Facebook: Heartbreak Hill Running Company
