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A decade ago, the two bombers at the Boston marathon tried to ruin a joyful event and break the spirit of a city. They failed.
Fear, chaos and tragedy erupted that day along with two homemade bombs. Three people — 23-year-old Lu Lingzi, 29-year-old Krystle Campbell, and 8-year-old Martin Richard — were killed by the blasts. The bombers shot and killed Massachusetts Institute of Technology Police Officer Sean Collier in the manhunt that followed, and Boston Police Officer Dennis Simmonds died a year after he was injured when confronting the bombers. The pain of those losses and the memories of those lost endure.
The strength and togetherness that followed those horrific events also endures. That was so clearly on display leading up to and during this year’s Boston Marathon, 10 years after the 2013 bombing. What we’ve seen, yet again, is a city and a people who have refused to be terrorized.
“The whole world saw Boston pull together in that moment and, to this day, we still carry that moniker of resilience and strength,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said over the weekend when memorial ceremonies were held ahead of Monday’s race.
In addition to the lives lost, nearly 300 people were wounded in the bombing. The scars of that day, seen and unseen, remain 10 years later. But so too does the remarkable resilience of these survivors in the face of such hate. And their communities have been there along the way with support.
Marc Fucarile was supporting a friend who was running the 2013 marathon when the second bomb went off near him. He instantly lost a leg, suffered burns and blown eardrums, went through years of surgeries and the fallout from a traumatic brain injury. As he told PEOPLE, Boston “saw evil at its greatest point” that day.
“And then, we saw kindness and generosity from so many more,” said Fucarile, who returned to compete in the marathon this year.
“I’m riding to show my thanks for all the support we received as survivors of such a horrific event,” said. “The community outpour of support was amazing.”
He also said that he is “riding in the hand cycle to show people, and to show my son, that you can really accomplish anything you put your mind to.”
It’s amazing what our minds can overcome. The same is true of our hearts. And there is little doubt that this year’s marathon grand marshal, former Red Sox star David Ortiz, buoyed hearts across Boston, New England and the entire country when he defiantly declared, “This is our [bleeping] city,” in an emotional Fenway Park address following the bombing.
As Fucarile and other marathon participants proved once again this year, it is still their city, it is still their marathon, and it is still a day of peace, kindness and proof of what’s possible.
“It really galvanized and showed our sport’s and our city’s resiliency, our desire together to continue even better and to enhance the Boston Marathon,” Boston Athletic Association President and CEO Jack Fleming said over the weekend.“The bombing in 2013 resulted in a new appreciation or a different appreciation for what Boston, what the Boston Marathon, has always stood for, which is that expression of freedom that you receive and get while running.”
Ten years ago, hate exploded on Boylston Street. It took lives far too soon, and changed others forever. But it failed to shake a city and its people, who responded with strength and kindness. The bombing did not create those positive forces, but rather exposed compassion that was always there and always possible.
Ten years later, and in all the years to come, we all have the ability to help sustain that strength and kindness — not just in tragedy but as we run the many miles of everyday life together.
