A well-known Vermont company had a hand in celebrating the accomplishments of top-finishing competitors in the 2017 Boston Marathon.
The glassblowing artisans at Simon Pearce crafted prizes by hand for the elite marathon winners.
“It’s really special,” said company founder Simon Pearce. “We’re just very proud that we were chosen and hope [the athletes] enjoy having it and it reminds them of their achievement — what they achieved through an incredible effort on their part.”
The event’s awards sponsor, Long’s Jewelers of Boston, turned to the Vermont company for large glass centerpieces to feature as prizes for the major first-place finishers. The glass will be engraved with the winners’ names.
Other top competitors across various divisions will take home smaller Simon Pearce creations.
Some of the prizes were made at the company’s studio in Quechee, with the largest of the trophies produced at the company’s facility in Windsor.
This famous name in glass has created other sports awards before, but never for the Boston Marathon, until now.
Vermont
The latest news from around the state
“We’re a young company, really,” observed Simon Pearce production manager Nathan Cloud. “We’ve only been around for about 35 years, but we have some of the best glassblowers in the world here and are starting to get that recognition for it.”
A version of the top Boston Marathon prize is available to consumers: a centerpiece known as the Pure Water Vase.
With shapes inspired by the waterfall near Simon Pearce’s location in Quechee, the heavy, roughly 30-pound vase carries a luxury price tag of $1,500.
For the athletes who earned their trophies through hard work and training, these pieces of New England stand for lasting memories of accomplishments on a major stage.
