CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – Monday is the 127th running of the Boston Marathon. It’s also been 10 years since two bombs went off at the finish line in 2013.
On April 15, 2013, two bombs were detonated near the finish line of the Boston Marathon killing three people and injuring more than 250 others.
Prior to the bombs going off it was just like any other marathon Monday as runners and spectators from all over gathered in Boston. This once beloved tradition quickly became the site of a tragedy.
Adrianne Haslet was one of the many injured by the bombs that went off in Boston, she was a spectator on that day 10 years ago. Haslet was standing next to the second of the two pressure-cooker bombs that exploded among the spectators watching the finish of the 2013 race.
Seventeen people lost limbs in the blast, Haslet was one of them. The ballroom dancer became a running enthusiast as she coped with life after the bombing. She ran the Boston Marathon in 2016 with a prosthetic blade and finished the race. She finds herself today seeking optimism in the face of adversity.
“It’s really wonderful to have a perspective of looking for the good. It’s like that Mr. Rogers quote, ‘always look for the helpers.’ There are always people that are going to be helping and I think Boston is just such an example of that we literally shut the city down to hunt these monsters like dogs. And since then we’ve been coming back with a battle cry that started in the 2014 race when so many came back and ran it it’s the community coming together and showing that Boston strong spirit that just I think ignites a flame in everyone. To remind us that there’s so much more good than evil in this world.
Haslet’s journey was not easy but she was able to regain her strength and learn to walk and dance once again. This weekend survivors like Haslet were able to have a day of hope and healing at one Boston day.
A day that commemorates the resilience of all of those impacted by those horrific tragedies.
Haslet says that today is all about coming together and showing how strong the City of Boston truly is.
This year Haslet will be at the marathon but not competing instead, she will be cheering on the tens of thousands of runners and survivors who will be taking on the 26.2-mile marathon.
