Bombs exploding, blood staining the roads and cries for help all adding up to one of the most horrifying events since 9-11. Usually on the third Monday of April, Massachusetts celebrates Patriots’ Day, a statewide holiday commemorating the start of The Revolutionary War via the Battles of Lexington and Concord. On April 15, 2013, little did Boston know that the war-like atmosphere would be conjured once more in the form of a deadly terrorist attack on the runners and spectators of the Boston Marathon.

The first bomb, placed in a backpack and filled with nails and BB-like pellets, exploded near the finish line while the second bomb detonated nearby moments later. Three people died and an estimated 264 people were injured. The three victims of the bombing were eight-year-old Martin Richard, twenty-nine-year-old Krystle Campbell, and twenty-three-year-old Lu Lingzi. Those who were injured were rushed to 27 local hospitals where fourteen of those patients had injuries so severe that they required amputation. This was only the beginning of the terror which would grip the city over the next four days.

The two suspected bombers, brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, natives of Chechnya, Russia, fled from the scene and sparked a statewide manhunt. While they were on the run for four days, the two suspects hijacked a Mercedes SUV, shot and killed MIT police officer Sean Collier, and were involved in a shootout with police in nearby Watertown. During that shootout in the early morning hours of April 19, Tamerlan was killed. His brother escaped, but later that night, he was apprehended after hiding in a boat in the backyard of a Watertown residence.

After last year’s Boston Marathon terrorist attack, some citizens were, understandably, on the fence about this year’s marathon. Held on April 21, 2014, the Boston Athletic Association added new precautions to ensure the safety of this year’s runners along the 26.2-mile route. These included a staggering 3,500 police officers organized to patrol the marathon. That was more than double the number of police officers patrolling last year’s marathon. However, there were still some heroic few that ran the marathon again this year simply because they just couldn’t stay away from “Boston… the epitome for distance running,” said annual marathoner and high school English teacher Mr. Perry Feyk.

“I don’t know anyone that was thinking, ‘Well I don’t want to run it because I’m afraid.’ We [runners] just don’t go with that,” explained Mr. Feyk. It seems that in the running community, people do not back down from a challenge because they are scared, including those who were injured last year. According to an article by Arielle Aronson on Foxsports.com (“Injured in Bombings, a Spectator Turns Runner in 2014 Boston Marathon”), Kellie Marshall, a spectator in 2013 and runner in 2014, was an estimated six feet away from the second bomb that went off last year. Attending the marathon with her cousin, Marshall was cheering and supporting the runners of the marathon. She was standing on top of a short fence in front of Atlantic Fish Co., one of the local restuarants in front of the finish line, when the force from the second blast threw her against the concrete wall of the restaurant. Marshall was knocked out and when she awoke a stranger saw that she was injured and carried her into the restaurant. Being one of the lucky ones, Marshall needed no amputations but did suffer from a ruptured eardrum, a severe concussion, and shrapnel embedded in her right leg. Marshall’s cousin, Dan Marshall, was standing right next to eight-year-old Martin Richard when the bombs went off. Marshall used his shirt as a tourniquet in an attempt to keep Richard alive until help came. Unfortunately, Martin Richard was one of three casualties as a result of the Boston bombing.

“Absolutely, all of the 5,000-plus runners who were unable to finish last year were back to complete their goal,” said current Benjamin parent Ms. Pauline Sabean, who also ran in this year’s marathon. “Out of the 35,000, there are 5,000 special needs runners that qualified and that got in for various organizations,” added Mr. Feyk. “There are at least a few thousand that weren’t able to finish last year, that I know were granted automatic acceptance to this year.”

It is worth noting that the Boston Athletic Association, which sponsors the marathon each year, allowed those who were prevented from finishing last year’s race because of the bombings to finish the last mile of the 117th running on May 25, 2013. They finally crossed the finish line nearly six weeks after the race began on April 15. However, for some runners, the race means more than just finishing.

“I have a lot of ties to the marathon,” said Mrs. Jessica Nordland. A current Benjamin parent, Boston Marathon competitor, and wife of TBS Summer Programs Director Chris Nordland, Mrs. Nordland knows the meaning of the marathon to native New Englanders. “I was born and raised in Newton, Massachusetts, which is right outside Boston. The marathon goes through Newton so I grew up watching it every year. I have had several family members run in the Marathon as well. I also have family members who are firefighters and police officers in the city. So this race has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl and I can’t think of a better year to run it than this one,” she claimed. As a runner, Mrs. Nordland understands why many of last year’s participants would want to run again this year. Her own decision to run this year’s marathon was an easy one. “Running this year is all about me supporting the city and all that it went through last year; being able to show the world that Boston is a strong city and that we support all the men and women who fight to keep us safe.”

Due to the new security measures, many of the runners seemed confident heading into this year’s marathon. “The security and race rules have changed dramatically to help keep everyone safe,” commented Mrs. Nordland. In Ms. Sabean’s opinion, “They had a lot more security on the days leading up to the race and obviously during the race but nothing to the point of it being overwhelming. They did a great job at keeping everybody at ease.” Mr. Feyk found it a bit inconvenient this year because runners were not able to have their bags and backpacks bussed to the finish line as a result of the security precautions. “This year they [didn’t] bus anything back to the finish, so we only [had] what we could carry on our persons.”

However, despite the new procedures, the enormity and emotion of the race was not overshadowed. “When I got there and ran, I was overcome by how important the marathon is for the people of Boston,” said Mr. Feyk. “Last year’s attack was personal to the city in a way I did not realize. People along the course thanked us for running, and my most cherished moment was after I finished, as I walked [or] limped back up the Boston Common to my hotel, Bostonians, perfect strangers stopped me to say, ‘Thank you for running our race. Thank you for helping us heal.’ I must say that ‘Boston Strong’ is not a catch phrase; it is a civic truth.” The eyes of many runners in this year’s marathon, including those of Mr. Feyk, were opened to the galvanizing spirit that permeated the city. “This die hard Yankees fan leaves Boston with a newfound appreciation for the strength, character, warmth and resilience of the people of Boston.”