- Competed in the Boston Marathon a record 61 times.
- At age 70 was still running 50 miles per week and competing in about 15 marathons a year.
- Ran 29 times in the Yonkers Marathon in Yonkers, New York.
- Ran his first race in a Boston park at age 11. It was a 100-yard dash for children that his brother Jim won.
- His father was a letter carrier who lived to be 96.
- His favorite song was "Young at Heart".
- Starting in 1995 Kelley was made the grand marshal of the Boston Marathon.
- Was given the nickname "The Elder" to avoid confusion with a fellow marathon runner with the same name who won the Boston Marathon in 1957.
- Outside of America, Kelley also competed in races and marathons in France, Norway, Ireland, Sweden, Japan, and Canada.
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