Boston Marathon 'Together Forward' Weekend Is Underway
BOSTON (CBS) - Suit up, stretch out and give back. It's all part of the Boston Marathon Together Forward Weekend.
Emmanuel Ovola came all the way from London to run. "It's been great. Boston is such a vibrant city. You can just feel the pulse of the marathon and the excitement of Marathon Monday," Emmanuel said.
As part of that build up and in honor of the fifth anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings is One Boston Day. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh visited folks at City Hall who came to donate blood.
"Doing something that shows the strength of what happened five years ago and the resiliency of the families that lost loved ones and the resiliency of the people that got hurt that day, and this is a way of giving back," Mayor Walsh said.
The John Hancock Sport and Fitness Expo was packed with tens of thousands of runners who will descend upon Boston. Many are not running for themselves but for wonderful causes.
Christine Suau is running in memory of her son Devin who passed away last year from brain cancer. "Our statement for the marathon was that life is supposed to be a marathon and Devin only got to sprint and so we are going to continue it for him," Christine said.
WBZ-TV's Katie Brace reports
Michael Bower picked up his bib number on Friday. This will be his 13th Boston Marathon. He runs for the Boys and Girls club of Boston and for team John Hancock.
"Helping these kids who could use and need a little boost is an honor and to do fundraising for them," Bower said.
The expo expects 80,000 visitors this year checking out the latest gadgets and gear and of course the food for all these soon to be hungry runners.
"It's a huge weekend for Boston. They are here for three days and they want to do everything in Boston. And one of the things you do is Cheers," Cheers owner Tom Kershaw said.