Boston Attack May Mean Changes For Baltimore Marathon
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The attacks in Boston may mean big changes for the Baltimore Marathon, which takes place in October. This, as the local running community is still in shock at the tragedy.
Meghan McCorkell has more.
It was pure panic for a lot of people in Maryland as they tried to get in touch with local runners in Boston.
Moments after the explosions in Boston, there were frantic attempts from people here in Maryland to get in touch with friends and loved ones there.
"They were still on the course. They didn't have their cells phones with them. Nobody knew what had happened to them," said Jim Adams, owner of Falls Road Running Store.
He managed to get a hold of his entire team in Boston.
"You could hear the chaos start to build with people in the background calling out, `Have you seen my friend? Have you seen my relatives?'" he said.
Lee Corrigan manages the Baltimore Running Festival, which is a qualifier for the Boston Marathon. About 30,000 spectators usually gather at the finish line of the Baltimore Marathon and they can expect to see heightened security this year.
"We are no stranger to this. Of course, the very first inaugural marathon occurred a month after 9/11, so we were at a heightened state of alert from that issue," Corrigan said.
Slideshow: Boston Marathon Attack
An emergency operations center is set up at M&T Bank Stadium as 400 officers patrol the race course. Those numbers could rise in the wake of what happened in Boston.
Last year, 27,000 runners took part in the Baltimore Running Festival.
Related Story: Marylanders Who Attended Boston Marathon React To Deadly Explosions
