Eileen Winters and her husband, Kevin, beamed with pride Monday as they stood near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Their son, Ryan, was on his way toward Boylston Street, running in the historic race for the first time.
“Words are inadequate,” said Eileen Winters. “It’s something he always wanted to do, and to see him complete a dream of his, as a mother, I can’t explain it.”
Not far away, Marc Fucarile reflected on his performance in Monday’s wheelchair race. He wasn’t exactly ecstatic about his finishing time, but he was happy to have competed in the event after losing a leg in the 2013 Marathon bombing.
All along the route from Hopkinton to Boston, athletes, fans, and public officials basked in the warming spring sun, making new memories but not forgetting that it was the third Marathon since the terror attack that killed three people and injured more than 260 others.
A jubilant atmosphere permeated the 26.2-mile route, as the state celebrated Patriots Day with an early Red Sox game and other events including a re-enactment in Lexington.
But the events came with a dose of solemnity, with some saying the attacks and their aftermath had given the Marathon deeper meaning. Public officials continued to be on high alert into the afternoon for any emerging threats.
Alex Giffords, 55, has run 40 marathons around the world, but as he stretched on Hopkinton Common before starting here for the third time, the Mexico City resident acknowledged that this race was different.
“Boston is Boston. There is nothing like it,” he said. “Runners are crazy for this race. This is what we wait all year for….
image…womansrunning.competitor.com
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