The Boston Marathon, the world’s oldest annual marathon, has tradition and results dating back to 1897. The running event takes place on Patriots Day (the third Monday of April). Women were officially recognized as participants in 1972 and just three years later, in 1975, a wheelchair division was sanctioned. In the inaugural Boston Marathon, merely fifteen men tested their odds on the 24.5 mile course. One might question, “24.5 miles? I thought a marathon was 26.2 miles.” Well, in the 1908 Olympics, the marathon was lengthened to 26.2 miles so the runners would finish in front of the King and Queen’s viewing box in the Olympic Stadium. The IAAF finalized this distance in the 1924 Paris Olympics and the marathon’s distance was indefinitely lengthened.

Course records for the marathon include 2:03:02 for the men and 2:20:43 for the women. Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya ran the fastest marathon ever recorded in 2011, but his time wasn’t validated as a world record because the elevation drop from start to finish surpasses the IAAF’s guidelines. Kenyan men have been dominating this event, winning 19 out of the last 23 years. Margaret Okayo, also from Kenya, ran her record breaking time in 2002. Joshua Cassify of Canada set the men’s wheelchair record in 1:18:25 and Wakako Tsuchida of Japan won her fifth Boston Marathon in a record breaking time of 1:34:06. The last Americans to win this prestigious event are Greg Myer in 1983 and Lisa Rainsberger, coincidentally my mom, in 1985.

Just over a year ago, the Boston marathon bombing violently shook Boylston Street. During the 2013 Boston Marathon on April 15^th, two explosions went off just 200 meters from the finish. Three spectators were killed, including an eight year old boy, and over 200 were reported injured. The Marathon was targeted by two brothers, who I don’t care to name; that would be giving attention to the wrong people. The real story is about the three who lost their lives and the hundreds more who were directly affected by this tragic event.

Martin Richard, the eight year old boy who lost his life, had family seriously injured as well. Jane Richard, Martin’s sister, now

eight, lost her left leg and underwent eleven surgeries in twenty-three days following the bombing. Their mother suffered a traumatic brain injury and lost sight in one eye; the father, plastered in scrap metal, temporarily lost hearing. Needless to say, this family had every reason to feel miserable, but, instead, they found ways to shed light on their situation. Jane just received her first athletic running prosthetic and the family is busy organizing the Martin W. Richard Charitable Foundation (Team MR8).  Team MR8 has over 100 members running the 2014 marathon in Martin’s honor. This resilient family is truly some of Boston’s finest.

The image of Jeff Bauman being whisked away in a wheelchair by a man in a cowboy hat covered news headlines and the picture instantaneously became the symbol of the bombing. However, many didn’t realize that the artery of his blown off leg was being pinched by this man. After a day of intensive surgery, in which both of his legs were amputated, Bauman awoke and scribbled seven words that began the man hunt in Boston; “Saw the guy. Looked right at me.”  His relentless attitude carried over in his recovery because after nearly a year of extensive therapy he is walking in prosthetics, engaged, and expecting a child.

This year the marathon will be a melting pot of emotions as people overcome goals, remember the fallen, and strive to move forward. This year should be a tribute to the few who lost their lives, but most importantly to the many who don’t allow one ill-timed moment to define them. The 2014 marathon will continue as planned and athletes from all over plan to come back and compete. Athletes unable to finish due to last year’s upheaval have received another go at the New England course this year. The energy surrounding Boston this year will undoubtedly prove to make for an unforgettable, positive experience.