Course Celebrates 400th Anniversary of the Mayflower Crossing, Links to Leiden Marathon

By Jennifer Sinsigalli (author/pen name, J.L. Rose)

You might assume that because I have run a marathon, that I am an accomplished runner. Not really. I am slow but persistent—the tortoise, not the hare. 

In 2020, I had the chance to run the historic and iconic Boston Marathon, my first marathon, on a charity team called ‘Stepping Strong’. The team raises funds for a trauma center founded by the Reny family, a family impacted by the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing tragedy, with the center located at the same Boston hospital my severely premature twins were born, in 2015. For many reasons, running this marathon had many meaningful connections. 

When the traditional 2020 Boston Marathon was cancelled due to the global pandemic, the event organizers offered a creative option to all registered runners; we could earn our medal by completing any 26.2-mile course, anywhere in the world, within a specified window of time. My first thought was, “no thanks, I signed up to run and experience the Boston Marathon, not run 26.2 random miles by myself.” But then the wheels starting turning, and I realized I possessed the amazing opportunity to invent a meaningful course, one that paid tribute to many people and places around the world, and one that connected to my passion for history and the creation of my historic novel, ‘Before the Mayflower’.

One of the places I desired to honor and represent was Leiden, the Netherlands, which I contend is a most critical backdrop before the famous Mayflower story and crossing. In fact, my novel revolves around the lives of the people who sought refuge in Leiden from 1609-1620; people like church elder William Brewster, Pastor John Robinson and Thomas Brewer are featured, in addition to others. In researching my novel for more than a decade and taking many amazing trips to Leiden to visit the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum, Weaver’s House Museum, Lakenhal, the University of Leiden Botanical gardens among other places, my objective was to take the reader back to 17th century Leiden, to the streets and markets, living around the magnificent Pieterskerk, the Hooglandsekerk, and world-famous University of Leyden. Clearly, the beautiful and diverse city of Leiden not only provided refuge for this English and separated congregation, but the culture and academic energy pulsed through these people, changing the course of world history. It did not take long to fall in love with this picturesque place, rich with history and giving, passionate people. There are so many people who gave their time and knowledge in support of my research, such as Dr. Bangs of the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum, Ward Hoskens, curator of the Pieterskerk, and Geeske Kruseman, of the Weaver’s House Museum, to whom I am forever grateful.

On September 11, 2020, I completed my Mayflower Marathon (see route below), passing twenty historic way points on my 26.2 mile route, starting in Plymouth, MA at the grounds of the living history museum, Plimoth Patuxet, passing burial hill and the replica of the Mayflower in the harbor before heading north through Kingston and into Duxbury, Massachusetts, the final home for former Leiden residents William Brewster, Myles Standish, and Philip Delano.

As I ran, I thought often about the people who boarded the Speedwell in Delfshaven, and those who made it aboard the Mayflower, journeying months across the sea. I thought about the city of Leiden, and how the people must have yearned for the loved ones who remained there, and all the comforts of their homes and access to the bustling, abundant markets. 

On my Boston Marathon racing bib, to honor Leiden and its importance in the Mayflower story and in influencing the history of the United States, I placed the pin for the Leiden Marathon and a Plymouth400 pin commemorating the 400th anniversary of the 1620 Mayflower crossing. My finish line on Duxbury Beach was a string of Dutch flags, and as I ran, I thought about the prospect of running the Leiden Marathon, which was cancelled last year, and is scheduled to be run on October 11, 2021, the same date as the Boston Marathon! In the picture at right, I am standing in my backyard, the land once deeded to William Brewster, proudly wearing the 2020 Leiden Marathon and Boston Marathon medals.

The image on the 2020 Leiden Marathon medal is that of the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum, an incredible museum run by Dr. Jeremy Bangs, whose research was essential to my work. In November 2020 I published a 400th anniversary edition of my novel, featuring twenty images (many of Leiden!) and maps, to further enhance the reader’s journey to 17th century England and Leiden. This edition will be featured in a Zoom lecture held at Plimoth Patuxet on April 1, 2021 from noon- 13:00 EST, ‘Before the Mayflower: A Novel, the Leyden Years’: https://lunchandlearn21april.eventbrite.com