Boston bombings survivors turn injuries into motivation to complete race
No records were set at the 2016 Boston Marathon, but there were several shared milestones.
For the first time, two survivors of the Boston Marathon bombings stood on prosthetic limbs and completed the race that had changed their lives three years ago, reports CBS News correspondent Don Dahler.
Patrick Downes finished the marathon in five hours and 56 minutes, then ran straight into the arms of his wife, Jessica.
Their embrace timed nearly to the minute, when both were wounded in the bombings three years earlier.
When we first met the couple in 2013, they were newlyweds recovering in the hospital after losing their left legs.
Downes said he would have never imagined then he'd be doing this three years later.
"And even when I started to run about a year ago and people suggested it, I thought they were ludicrous," Downes said.
A jog down a hospital corridor turned into a run around the block, then a 5K. Soon, Downes began to believe he could run the marathon.
"I'm doing it because I can do it and so many of our friends who weren't as fortunate as I was to have a relatively healthy body wish that they had an opportunity to run a marathon," Downes said.
Bombing survivor Adrianne Haslet also ran in Monday's marathon. Despite never running so much as a mile, she vowed to complete a 26.2 of them after losing a portion of her left leg. She shared the source of her determination last month with "CBS This Morning" co-host Norah O'Donnell.
"My friends and family will tell you I'm very stubborn, and so will I," Haslet told O'Donnell. "I believe if you set your mind to something, you can do it. And I thank my parents for raising me that way... You can't control what happens in your life, but you can control how you handle it."
Since the bombings, Adrianna Haslet and Patrick Downes have personified "Boston strong," rallying supporters in the city and beyond.
But it was here at the finish line where they each were able to savor this personal goal. While Downes crossed the finish line first under the afternoon sun, Adrianne's victory was just as bright, finishing the race at 10 hours and 40 minutes as Boylston street was being cleared before nightfall.
""I'm really emotional because I think of all the different definitions this finish line has held. It's pretty awesome," Haslet said.