The race was in London, but the thoughts of many were with another city.
Thousands of runners who took part in the London Marathon on Sunday paid tribute to those killed and injured in the Boston Marathon six days earlier. Participants paused for a moment of silence in the beginning, many wore black ribbons on their chests as a sign of solidarity, and two runners finished carrying a banner that read โFor Boston.โ
The mood was festive, defiant โ and the surging crowds who turned out on the glorious spring day to line the route roared enthusiastically.
โIt means that rโโ said Valerie Bloomfield, a 40-year-old participant from France.
Londonโs is the first major international marathon since two bombs exploded near the finish line in Boston. The blasts killed three people and wounded 180, and a policeman died during the search for the bombers. One suspect died in a shootout with police, while a second was caught.
Some 35,000 runners took part in the London race, which also drew tens of thousands of spectators โ many regulars said it was the biggest and most enthusiastic crowd in years. Many said they made a point of turning up to show they were not afraid.
โWe canโt look back. We must look forward,โ said Tomasz Hamerlak of Poland, who finished fourth in the menโs wheelchair race and who had competed in Boston last week. โThe show must go on.โ
Authorities in London boosted the police presence by 40 per cent and adding extra surveillance as precautionary measures, but in the end all went peacefully.