'The city really did bounce back': 10 years after marathon attack, Boston has emerged stronger than ever
BOSTON - The crowd went wild, unfazed by the rain that poured at times along the Boston Marathon route. "Nothing stops a Bostonian, right? Snow, rain, cold, no," said Christine Cronin, who was there to watch her son.
From a window above, stood a quintessential symbol of "Boston strong", marathon bombing survivor Heather Abbott. "Today definitely is a celebration," she said. "The city really did bounce back and was resilient, especially that 2014 year when it was a huge marathon," she said.
That first comeback year, Abbott jumped in for the last stretch of the race, cheered on by a crowd of supporters. She spoke with WBZ moments after she crossed the finish line. "I know a half a mile doesn't seem like much, but for me it's pretty long," she said.
Now, ten years later, she runs a foundation that helps people who've suffered traumatic limb loss get expensive prosthetics. The Heather Abbott foundation is helping David Hiler, who ran the Boston Marathon twice before losing his leg in 2020. He watched this year's race with Abbott, dreaming of doing it again someday. "Her and all the amputees that are here, and that I see out there on the street, and the wheelchair participants, I mean that tells me that I can do it," said Hiler.
As of Monday, 13 runners had raised $130,000 for Abbott's foundation.
Outside the window where they gathered, it was clear the crowd felt the inspiration too. "You can feel the city come back, same thing as after COVID," said Mike Kirkland, there to watch his friend run. "Even ten years after the event, you can feel it for sure."