As a response to the tragedy at the Boston Marathon a year ago to the day, Raleigh athletes took to the streets on April 15, 2014, marking the one-year anniversary of the event by honoring the victims.
The Raleigh participants included people who had run in Boston in 2013, including Celia Mitchell. Despite her sadness at what had happened on the day, she vowed not to let the experience keep her from running in Boston, and used the race as part of her training to run her fourth Boston Marathon.
Mitchell was only one of several runners who sprinted through Raleigh on Tuesday in tribute to Boston’s victims. The short run was organized by Jim Michaels, who has not run in Boston in ten years. However, he insists that he will be running this year, saying the Boston Marathon is “near and dear to our hearts”. Like Mitchell, Michaels stated his intention to run in Boston to honor last year’s victims.
Raleigh runners might consider working with brochure printers to create a mailer for area residents, suggesting that perhaps Raleigh might like to start a marathon of its own to honor Boston and create its own tradition of community running and athletics.
The Boston Marathon for this year took place on April 21, and participants observed a minute’s silence before the race got underway.
