Thousands In Boston Ready To Run Marathon 1 Year After Bombings
BOSTON (WJZ) -- Thousands of runners will take to the streets of Boston to run the annual Boston Marathon. It's been a year since last year's race ended in tragedy after a bomb was set off, killing three people and injuring more than 200 others.
Rochelle Ritchie has more on how the city is stepping up security.
It's near the finish line last year at the Boston Marathon when federal authorities say Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his brother, Tamerlan, set off two bombs, killing three people and injuring 264 others.
Among the injured was Erika Brannock, a school teacher in Baltimore County who lost her leg.
"I got back into my walking really quickly and my physical therapist was impressed with how quickly I got it back," Brannock said.
In lieu of the horrific tragedy that day, the city of Boston is moving forward with the marathon, and according to the governor, with major changes.
"There will be considerably more police presence. There are tactical units strategically placed at different points along the route," said Gov. Deval Patrick.
The perpetrators in last year's bombing carried their deadly devices in backpacks and left them sitting on the ground before they exploded. This year, no backpacks are allowed within the last several yards of the finish line.
Boston police were able to put their enhanced security features to use after a man was seen roaming about with a backpack and yelling "Boston Strong." Police were alerted by citizens. The man was quickly taken into custody.
"We're going to increase visibility over the next couple of days because of that incident. We'll have bike patrols down there," police said.
The governor says, while there will be increased security, he doesn't want to take away from the family feel.
"There are no strangers here. So we want to maintain that spirit, but also have considerably more rigor because of the attention the marathon got last year, the tragedy that ensued and the demands we think are quite reasonable for enhanced preparation for this year," Patrick said.
The governor also says there have not been any threats made toward Monday's race.
This is Boston's 118th marathon. The event attracts about 500,000 people every year.
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