Participants from all over the world gathered in Boston, Massachusetts to run in the 118th Annual Boston Marathon Monday April 21. 

Regarded as one of the most prestigious footraces, the 26.2 mile event starts in Hopkinton, Massachusetts and finishes in Copely Square in downtown Boston, according to boston.com.
This year’s event was a success, despite the events from the 2013 marathon, in which two bombs exploded. According to bostonglobe.com, the tragic event killed five people and injured more than 200 others.

A police source, who wishes to remain anonymous, recalls the events following the explosion. His job was to visit the Emergency Room at a local hospital and interview trauma patients and potential witnesses. 

“I was involved in collecting physical evidence at the hospital and then forwarding any evidence gathered to an evidence room inside the hospital where the evidence was logged in and turned over to the FBI for processing,” he said.

When the anonymous police source was asked about his work at the hospital, he recalled a story from a fellow investigator. 

“A guy he had met had lost his leg, but all he wanted was his wedding band back,” he said.

This investigator called various people, including FBI agents, and eventually found his ring.

“He couldn’t thank that officer enough, he told me that he wished he could have given his leg back but he couldn’t, he could help him find his ring,” he said. 

He recalled hearing another story where an investigator was left in charge of the personal objects of trauma victim. He referred to her as Jane Doe. While in possession of these items, a cell phone began to ring. The investigator answered one of the calls and asked the caller to contact the family of the victim, Jane Doe, and tell them that she had been hospitalized.

The family arrived to find that the Jane Doe in the hospital was not their family member, but rather a friend of their loved one. Shortly thereafter, they were devastated to discover that their daughter had been killed in the bombing.

“All in all, it was an awful experience to have been involved in, it’s a scar from that day that will stay with me a long time,” he said.

To repair these emotional and physical scars, Governor Deval Patrick and Mayor Thomas M. Menino created the One Fund organization to help survivors and victims of the bombing, according to onefundboston.org.

“Everyone wanted to do something to help the victims and their families both short and long term. Coming together and supporting each other. It grew into a huge fundraiser event, and a way to give back,” the police source said.

Other organizations and families organized special events to help raise money for One Fund, so that people were aware of the needs of the survivors.

“One Fund could never replace what one might have lost, but was a tool designed to lesser the financial burden these victims were about to face,” he said.

 This year, 36,000 participants raced in the Boston Marathon, which is 9,000 more racers than last year according to abclocal.go.com. 

“I think that 9,000 more participants is incredible. It shows how this nation comes together to support each other in times of grief and struggle,” Convent of the Sacred Heart Physical Education Teacher and experienced marathon participant Ms. Alex Holowach said.

With the help of heightened security and a renewed faith, undeterred runners from all over the world came together for the 2014 Boston Marathon.
-Alexandra Dimitri, Staff Writer