Runners participating in the Boston Marathon
With the anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings on the 15th of this month, I watched a fantastic documentary called 'The Hunt for the Boston Bombers' which relived a day that shocked the nation.
An event which people flock in their thousands to participate in and watch, the Boston Marathon attracts over 23,000 participants. Runners from all over the world take part. But, in April of last year, disaster struck as two bombs erupted simultaneously on the finish line of the Marathon, whn three-quarters of the participants had already crossed the line, killing three people and injurying at least 100.
Scenes of chaos and trauma filled the media. I was absolutely horrified watching the suffering it caused to so many people. People trained for months on end to complete the race, but that day so many lives were shattered.
The documentary featured survivers of the bombs who are left with prostate legs for the rest of their lives and people who have been effected not just physically but mentally following that day. What was such a highlight in many atletes calender has been shifted to a memorable day for all the wrong reasons.
The big question is, has the bombings distorted people's view on Marathon's? It's hard to say.
I mean now when anyone thinks of the Boston marathon they automatically think of the Boston Bombings. I would say it has tainted it's reputation slightly, which is such a pity considering the great event it is.
Having said that, the London marathon, which took place on April 13th last, attracted attention for all the right reasons and has been a fantastic success since it began in 1981.
The 'Virgin London Marathon' as it is called, is one of the biggest running events in the world. It's such a worthy marathon as the runners as sponsored to raise money for charity so it is so worthwhile, and is one of the biggest fundraising events in the world.
I watched the highlights the day of the marathon, and all the runners were in such great spirits, dressed up in quirky costumes promoting their chosen charitites.
There were a few familiar faces there too. Olympic runner Mo Farah was cut short of a gold medal after running his first ever marathon. Former England striker Michael Owen was running for Prostate Cancer UK as it is a charity very close to his heart, following a scare in his family. TV soap star Nick Pickard, who plays Tony Hutchinson in the hit soap Hollyoaks was running to raise money for Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation. It was great to see all the famous faces pulling their weight for charity.
A whopping 817,890 people have participated in the London Marathons, and over 450 million has been raised for charity. I would hope that people are not turned off participating in marathons after the bombings, when you see the great work that is put into events like this!
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