Boston Marathon run amid tighter security

Boston has held it's first Marathon since last April's terrorist attack that killed three people.

A minute's silence was held before the race to remember last year's victims, before 36,000 runners took to the streets, cheered on by around a million people.

But the race was held amid much tighter security.

Nick Harper reports from Boston.

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The sounds of a city in celebration.

natsot - cheering

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This is the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The sidewalks are packed with thousands of people cheering as runners complete the grueling 26.2 miles.
It’s a very different sound to last year’s race.

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Two homemade bombs detonated just before 3 o’clock.
They had been built to cause maximum damage. Pressure cookers filled with ball bearings and sharp pieces of metal.
Runners were still finishing. Many had their families and friends watching. Three people died, 16 people lost limbs and more than 260 others were injured. One of those killed was Lingzi Lu, a Chinese student studying at Boston University.
This year the marathon set 7 places for her friends to run in her honor. Shuheng Lin and Yujue Wang both felt it was important to run today’s race for Lingzi

Lin & Wang - clips

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As well as being one of the world’s most prestigious races, Marathon Monday is a day the whole city comes out to celebrate. Boston University’s Dean of Students, Ken Elmore, still finds it hard to understand why such a day was targeted.

Elmore - clip

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This year the police presence had been significantly stepped up. Twice the number of officers patrolled the race route, three and a half thousand in total.
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In the run up, the marathon director Dave McGillivray pledged the city would be the safest place on the planet on race day.
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On top of that, no backpacks, strollers or costumes - something that’s impacted charity runner Brian Keaney. He was nearing the finish line when the bombs went off last year, dressed as a hamburger.
It’s an outfit he knows slowed him down, and he thinks perhaps enough to save his life.

Brian - clip

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And the city had 100 new surveillance cameras.
People in Boston say they’d certainly noticed the tighter security.

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But last year’s events didn’t put people off. This was the
second-largest Boston marathon with 9,000 extra runners and more than a million spectators - double the usual number.
Boston wanted to show that as the runners crossed the finish line where those bombs exploded 12 months ago, this was not just the sound of personal achievements but the collective sound of a city that’s overcome.

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