Nearly 32,000 runners sent a powerful message of resilience at the first Boston Marathon since last year's deadly bombing, and crowds who came out in droves saw something that had not happened in more than 30 years: an American won the men's race.
Running amid mid heavy security that included a battery of surveillance cameras and police officers on rooftops, Eritrean-born Meb Keflezighi dominated a field that included athletes who were prevented from finishing the race last year.
Keflezighi had the names of last year's victims written in black marker on the corners of his race bib.
The 118th running of the storied race from Hopkinton to Boston was run under the long and still-sharp shadow of the 117th, which turned tragic when two bombs exploded near the finish line, killing three people, injuring more than 260 and searing the day into a city with a long memory.
On this marathon Monday, there was no choice but to remember, reflect and even confront the past, but the athletes found it easier -- and more fun -- to celebrate.
Jeff Glasbrenner said he returned to Boston for some "unfinished business" after being forced to stop just before the finish last year following the bombing.
"I felt like those two bad guys stopped a lot of people from going after their dreams. I needed to come back," said Glasbrenner, 41, who runs with a prosthetic right leg after losing part of his leg in a childhood farming accident.
"It was the most amazing thing crossing that finish line," he said moments after he completed the race with two other amputees, all from Arkansas. "But it wasn't for us. It was for all these people out here."
A total of 35,755 athletes were registered to run the 42-kilometre race, the second-largest field in its history.
Lee Ann Yanni, whose left leg was badly injured in the bombing, said she could feel the energy of the crowd pushing her to the finish.
"It was really emotional crossing the finish line," she said. "We got our finish line back. That's all that mattered." The elite racers gave the crowd a reason to cheer, too.
Keflezighi, who came to the US at age 12, won the men's title in 2 hours, 8 minutes, 37 seconds. Cheers rose up as word of the first American man to win in Boston since 1983 spread through the pack of runners.
Kenya's Rita Jeptoo won the women's race in a course-record 2 hours, 18 minutes, 57 seconds, defending a championship from last year. She had been hoping this year for a title she could enjoy.
