A decade ago, two bombs went off near the Boston Marathon finish line. The attack killed three people, injured hundreds more and changed the race and the city forever.
Today, local and state leaders, first responders and other members of the community gathered at the finish line to commemorate the 10-year anniversary, reflect on what was lost and share hope for what the future may bring.
Since 2015, the city of Boston has made April 15 — the date of the bombings — a day of reflection and service called One Boston Day. For this year's anniversary, the city and the Boston Athletic Association held two events on Boylston Street. First was a private, early morning ceremony for families who lost loved ones at the bombing. Then, in the afternoon, hundreds gathered at the finish line for a public observance marking the 10 years since the bombing and the unveiling of a One Boston Day marker.
Among those in attendance at the afternoon event were Gov. Maura Healey, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Red Sox legend David Ortiz.
Afterward, Wu said she was moved by seeing the strength of the families of those impacted by the bombing.
"There's no way to describe the sense of love that comes from each and every one of them," Wu said. "They have taken that deepest hurt and been able to channel it into inspiring others to do good in the community, to make a difference in the world, to live even more deeply."
Warren said the people she talked to before and after the ceremony spoke about what they lost that day — but they also focused on the future.
"Because that's what we do here in Boston. This 10th anniversary is about what we lost, but it's about what we gained together," she said.
Carole Manson, a longtime volunteer with the Boston Marathon who used to live in the city but currently lives in Niagara Falls, New York, came out Saturday to show support for those effected by the bombing. This year is her 15th overall time volunteering with the race. She was not volunteering at the time of the bombing 10 years ago, but she said seeing the marathon back at full strength is a special sight.
"As a whole, I think it shows how strong Boston is as a city, how its people have this can-do attitude," Manson said. "Nothing's going to stop us. We can't let fear and terror rule our lives. We're going to fight back and we're going to fight back stronger and come back stronger from it."
Stephanie Bendeck also attended the 10-year anniversary event. She moved to the Malden area with her husband two years ago and said she feels entrenched with the community. Bendeck is running the Boston Marathon on Monday for the first time to complete her set of six Abbott World Marathon Majors, and she said that community connection will make the race all the more special.
"You know, this is a city of survivors. And when I think of the Boston Marathon, I think of grit, I think of strength, I think of that inner gut strength that you pull from deep down when you feel like you really need to get that extra push. That's what I think of when I think of this marathon," Bendeck said. "So this is a really special one. I purposefully left Boston as my final [World Marathon Major] to complete for this very reason. I [didn't] purposefully select this year, it just kind of happened. But I know that when I cross that finish line, I'm gonna have a lot of tears, for all the right reasons."
