Today saw the 118th running of the Boston Marathon. It should have been just another running of the world’s oldest annual marathon. Which is no small accomplishment, but this running of the Boston Marathon had a lot more riding on its success then its obscure number would suggest.
Last year, Boston and the running community were shaken to their core when two bombs went off near the Marathon’s finish line (my thoughts from last year: …Keep Moving).
It was an unthinkable act of violence, and as more and more details were revealed the reason for this attack became less clear.
What was clear is that the hatred and anger that inspired those who committed this act of terrorism did not spread into the hearts of its victims. The Boston Strong movement has been an inspiring thing to watch, even when it ran over my Cardinals in the World Series.
I’ve also seen the running world refuse to let this event change it. While it may have taken a few extra minutes to get checked in at races this past year, due to the extra security, but the running community has kept trust and sense of community.
It may sound like a small victory following an unimaginable tragedy, but it’s an important one all the same. After all, the road to recovery and healing is a marathon, not a sprint.
Congratulations to all of the marathoners who ran today!
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More on the Story: NY Times
…just for fun:
