Boston Marathon Runner Sculpture Takes Shape In Newton

NEWTON, MA — A couple near the corner of Grant and Commonwealth avenues, halfway up Heartbreak Hill, had to take down a large tree on their front lawn. Rather than grind the trunk to dust, they decided to have an artist turn it into a sculpture for the community.

So what does a homeowner along a key part of the Boston Marathon route choose for a sculpture?

That's not a hard call.

For the past couple of days, Ken Packie of Berkshire Mountain Sculpture has been working to transform the old maple tree into the form of a marathon runner. He's attracted quite the response.

Homeowner Charlotte McKee said she's gotten texts from friends and neighbors asking what's happening and, in return, received an outpouring of appreciation.

"People are just so excited about having something joyful right now," said McKee, who has done her fair share of long runs in the neighborhood, too.

Packie said he loves the response.

"Everyone is constantly beeping, waving and stopping," Packie said. "You kind of feed off that energy."

McKee and her husband, Mark Proctor, tried for about a decade to keep the maple tree on the corner property alive. They loved the tree. But it was old, compromised, and the upper branches eventually became a hazard.

For years, Proctor had wanted to give the tree a second life. The couple held an annual marathon party, so he developed a vision of commemorating the marathon with this second life.

It took a few years before McKee was on board.

"Finally, he wore me down and I agreed," she said.

The couple went through a number of design ideas before landing on the idea of a runner.

Proctor had seen a carving on Facebook that a friend of Packie's had done in Seattle and reached out to see if he might be able to turn their old tree into a piece of art. The Seattle artist referred them to Packie, who is based in the Berkshires and who usually works from his shop tucked into the woods without onlookers.

When they called to ask Packie if he might be interested, he said he jumped on the idea.

"I was all in," he said. "I love doing human form."

So far, he's spent about 18 hours of work on the tree, which he estimates may be about 90 years old.

He had to navigate seams of rot and some odd growth, so the runner's pose came out the way it did based on the limitations of the log, he said. It's been a challenge, Packie said, but he's loved it.

Packie said he's got another day left, in which he'll "fan back"some of the facial detail a bit to make sure the sculpture doesn't look like anyone in particular but represents a generic runner.

He has some more sanding to do and plans to put detail on the runner's legs, shoes and hands. He'll then clean everything up, burn it to create shading and contrast, and put a coat of oil on it before winter to protect it from the elements.

Packie, who has been a full-time carver for a dozen years, said the sculpture could last indefinitely if it's well-maintained. He points to log cabins, which can last for 250 years.

"The enemy is the summer sun and the rain washing the finish, or bugs eating away at it," he said. But since he's cutting all the bark from the base, he doesn't see bugs as a problem for this sculpture.

Packie was always drawing when he was young, and at one point in his youth was told he had a great sense of spacial mathematics and should consider being an architect. A New Jersey native and a son of an engineer, he went a more technical direction and his 9-5 took him traveling across the region. It wasn't until after he turned 40, and he was looking to take up woodcarving as a way to relieve stress, that he took up the chainsaw.

He took a class to learn the basics and then started carving after work. Eventually, he started going to competitions and found himself winning. Not two years into his career, he secured himself an invitation to a prestigious Canadian competition, where he won second place.

McKee said she's been in awe of Packie's work with a chainsaw and is looking forward to the final product.

"Hopefully, there will be a time soon when the marathon is run in person, and we can stand out there and appreciate it on the day of the marathon," McKee said. "Hopefully, people in Newton and the neighborhood will enjoy it as much as we do."

Jenna Fisher is a news reporter for Patch. Got a tip? She can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna). Have a something you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how .