Finishing The Race: Boston Magazine Pays Tribute To Those Affected By Marathon Bombings
BOSTON (WJZ) -- Finding a way to pay tribute to the victims and survivors of the Boston terror attacks is not easy.
But Mary Bubala explains Boston Magazine has found the heart and soul of it.
"I'm just humbled and my entire staff is humbled that we've been able to create something that's contributed in some small way to people moving on and feeling a little bit better," said John Wolfson.
The May cover of Boston Magazine features a heart-shaped ring of running shoes donated by people who ran the marathon along with the message: "We will finish the race."
John Wolfson is Boston Magazine's editor-in-chief.
"Each one, of course, is an individual shoe. They are dirty, they are tattered," he said. "There's nothing special or spectacular about them, but collectively, they work together to create something that's very powerful, very inspirational and a message of hope and healing. And I thought if we could execute it that way, it would actually be symbolic of the way the city has responded to the marathon bombings."
In addition to the cover, each runner was asked to contribute a story about how the marathon affected them.
Reporter: "So how close were you to the finish line?"
Runner: "I don't know, my best guess was 70 yards from the finish line. I keep saying 50 yards from the explosion, so I was coming up to the finish line. I could see it. I could taste it."
Renae Tuffy recounts her experience of hearing the explosion and never reaching the finish line. She writes: "I don't feel mad. I don't feel angry. I feel broken."
Since launching the shoe campaign on Facebook and Twitter, the shoes and stories have been pouring into Boston Magazine--too many to hold in its pages.
It seems everyone in the city has a story to tell about the marathon they couldn't finish, but as anyone here will tell you, they're not done.
Reporter: "Will you be back next year?"
Runner: "I most certainly will. I already started training."
As the cover says: "We will finish the race."
The magazine is on newsstands now, but you can see the digital version online.
