Thousands run Boston Marathon in show of defiance

Boston: Nearly 32,000 runners sent a powerful message of resilience at the first Boston Marathon since last year’s deadly bombing, and crowds who came out in droves saw something that hadn’t happened in more than 30 years: an American won the men’s race. Running amid mid heavy security that included a battery of surveillance cameras and police officers on rooftops, Eritrean-born Meb Keflezighi dominated a field that included many athletes who were prevented from completing the race last year. Keflezighi, who came to the US as a refugee at age 12, had the names of last year’s victims written in black marker on the corners of his race bib. [caption id=“attachment_1491847” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Pictured here is the beginning of the marathon which saw 32,000 runner participate. AP[/caption] The 118th running of the storied race from Hopkinton to Boston was run under the long and still-sharp shadow of the 117th, which turned tragic when two bombs exploded near the finish line, killing three people, injuring more than 260 and searing the day into a city with a long memory. On this marathon Monday, there was no choice but to remember, reflect and even confront the past, but the athletes found it easier — and more fun — to celebrate. Jeff Glasbrenner said he returned to Boston for some “unfinished business” after being forced to stop just before the finish last year following the bombing. “I felt like those two bad guys stopped a lot of people from going after their dreams. I needed to come back,” said Glasbrenner, 41, who runs with a prosthetic right leg after losing part of his leg in a childhood farming accident. “It was the most amazing thing crossing that finish line,” he said moments after he completed the race with two other amputees, all from Arkansas. “But it wasn’t for us. It was for all these people out here.” A total of 35,755 athletes were registered to run the 26.2-mile (42-kilometer) race, the second-largest field in its history, with many coming to show support for the city and its signature sporting event. Lee Ann Yanni, whose left leg was badly injured in the bombing, said she could feel the energy of the crowd pushing her to the finish. “It was really emotional crossing the finish line,” she said. “We got our finish line back. That’s all that mattered.” The elite racers gave the crowd a reason to cheer, too. Keflezighi won the men’s title in 2 hours, 8 minutes, 37 seconds. Cheers rose up as word of the first American man to win in Boston since 1983 spread through the pack of runners. At nearby Fenway Park, where the Boston Red Sox baseball team was playing, a long, loud cheer went up when the result of the race was shown on the center field video screen. Kenya’s Rita Jeptoo won the women’s race in a course-record 2 hours, 18 minutes, 57 seconds, defending a championship from last year. She had been hoping this year for a title she could enjoy. “It was very difficult to be happy. People were injured and children died,” she had said of last year’s marathon. There was no denying the security measures in place since last year: There were multiple checkpoints; police along the route examined backpacks, particularly outside subway station exits; more than 100 new surveillance cameras looked down from above; and runners carried their belongings in clear plastic bags. At 2:49 pm, the moment the bombs went off a year ago, there was a moment of silence followed by a swelling cheer that chased runners toward the finish, rising in a wave as it got closer to the blue and gold line that marks the end of the race. Vicki Schmidt of Nashville heard the explosions last year while running on Commonwealth Avenue but thought they were fireworks. She was prevented from finishing the race and her boyfriend, Phil Kirkpatrick, suffered hearing loss from the bombings. This year, he walked and ran the course. “You can’t hold us back. You can’t get us down,” Schmidt said just after finishing Monday. “Boston is magical. This is our place.” Heather Abbott, who lost her left leg in the bombings, ran the last half mile (800 meters) of the course on a prosthetic leg alongside her friend. “It was hard. It was really hard,” she said, a “Boston Strong” sticker on the black prosthetic. “I was really nervous. I didn’t want to fall.” She learned from the experience that she’s a lot stronger than she thought she was. “And I’m going to have a normal life,” she said. Prosecutors say Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 20, and his older brother — ethnic Chechens who came to the US from Russia more than a decade ago — carried out the attack in retaliation for US wars in Muslim lands. Tsarnaev is awaiting trial in the attack and could get the death penalty. Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, died in a shootout with police days after the bombings. AP