HALIFAX – Nova Scotia runners are gearing up to compete in the Boston Marathon, just one year after two bombs exploded near the finish line, killing three people and injuring more than 260.
Shock and disbelief spread following the bombing, especially among those who were there.
“When the second bomb went off, people realized it was a bomb and everybody was running in every direction,” said Bedford runner Malcolm Pain.
He crossed the finish line just moments before the first bomb went off. A few seconds later, the second bomb hit.
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Pain, who is 76, had to walk eight miles to get back to his hotel because the buses and subway were shut down. The entire time he was also unable to let his wife know he was safe.
“As soon as they realized it was a bomb they shut the whole city down,” he said.
“They threw us off the subway and then the buses shut down and you couldn’t get a taxi, and they shut down the telephones because a telephone set the bomb off.”
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Ray Moorehead is another Nova Scotian heading to Boston to compete in this year’s marathon. The 51-year-old has been running marathons for more than a decade.
“Heading out Friday…and looking forward to getting there,” he said.
Moorehead hasn’t been to the Boston Marathon since 2010. He said the running community is strong, united and supportive of each other.
“I think it’s all about memory and I think it’s about embracing what has happened,” he said. “I think it’s all about letting people know they’re not forgotten.”
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