It’s been one year since the terrorist bombing at the Boston Marathon. Like most tragic events, this deplorable act brought the running community together. There has always been a unspoken sense of solidarity with those of us who lace up shoes for our therapy, our release, our joy, our health, and our goals. But after Boston, that solidarity was no longer just understood. The world saw it. From every wrist band to every blog post to every Tweet and every T-shirt, the world saw that runners (and walkers!) are not the type to sit back or turn a blind eye to an attack on our sport or our country.
I don’t pretend to have all the answers or have the best words to adequately describe the impact this has had on those who lost loved ones or face life-changing injuries. I don’t know how people recover from such a thing. One thing I do know is that it takes heart and guts to wake up each day and fight to live and not only live but thrive. I know it takes courage to return to the starting line and try again. I know everyone has their own way of coping and dealing with tragedy no matter how close or how far removed. But above it all, we are Americans. That thread running through all of us is what makes us fight that much harder to rise again after taking a hit and it is what keeps us standing tall.
