Patrick Downes and Adrianne Haslet-Davis were the first two survivors of the 2013 bombings to complete the 26.2-mile race on prosthetic limbs.
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Three years after the attacks, the Boston Marathon is returning to its new normal, with more security and more runners but the focus returned to the race itself.
Downes crossed the Boyleston Street finish line first at 2:49 p.m., the moment the first bomb exploded at the finish line in 2013, and he immediately hugged his wife, Jessica Kensky, who lost parts of both legs in the blasts. It’s her first time running the race since the bombing.
Haslet, a professional ballroom dancer who also lost a leg, finished in almost 10 hours on the course.
“I always knew once I started running competitively that I was going to be running Boston”, she said.
Bombing survivor Adrianne Haslet also ran in Monday’s marathon.
At that point, she said she turned to what she called “my pit crew”, to make the necessary adjustments to the liner in her racing prosthetic so she could carry on.
The victor of the women’s wheelchair race, Tatyana McFadden, competed on Team MR8. Soon, Downes began to believe he could run the marathon.
“I’m so grateful to be a recipient of that love, and I hope the people of Boston felt the love back today and for many years to come”, he said.
For the third consecutive year, a number of government agencies and universities offered comprehensive training for public safety personnel supporting the Boston Marathon. The U.S. Olympic marathon trials were in February in Los Angeles.
At the press conference, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh explained the need for security for the world’s oldest marathon, which serves as a “symbol of our collective strength and resilience”.
Haslet – flanked by friends and family members – was emotional as she completed the race. while a crowd of enthusiastic supporters cheered her on. “Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and ATF, they do an wonderful job”, he said.
Hayle, 21, earned his first major marathon victory.
Gracey, 26, of Superior, Colorado, is an eight-time NCAA Division II national champion who will be making her marathon debut. She finished 22nd overall among the finishers in the marathon.
Haslet-Davis and her husband, Air Force Captain Adam Davis, had garnered support after the bombings from the dance community, which launched fund-raisers for the couple and invited her to perform on “Dancing With The Stars” on ABC.
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“I wanted to run one kilometer for every year of my life”, she said.
