The Boston Marathon, an event that takes place on Patriot’s Day, is a prestigious race that all Bostonians take pride in. It brings everyone in the city together, as we celebrate the tremendous athletic accomplishments of people from all around the world. Five years ago, that wasn’t the case.
I’ll never forget where I was on April 15, 2013 when I heard my city was bombed on one of our most celebrated days.
I was a 17-year-old from North Attleboro, Massachusetts in Kansas City, Missouri for volleyball nationals. It was pretty easy for other teams to realize we were a close-knit team from New England, as my teammates, their parents, my mom and my coaches all huddled around a hotel lobby’s television watching the latest updates. I’m pretty sure we almost missed our first match of the day because of the bombings and, honestly, we didn’t care.
I can’t tell you how many people came up to us as soon as we walked into the convention center expressing their concerns. It was a lot to process, especially since my dad wasn’t answering his phone, and he and my 12-year-old brother made the half-hour trip to Boston to watch the marathon.
Dad answered his phone about an hour after the bombs went off at the finish line. Thankfully, they were at JFK Library, nowhere near the explosions.
Watching the next five days unfold was overwhelming, to say the least. Once I got home from nationals, I couldn’t get away from the television. I listened to live coverage of the shootout in Watertown, Massachusetts with my parents. I couldn’t comprehend that it was all happening 45 minutes away…
Mike Quinones: Billerica, Massachusetts
I was playing basketball outside with my brothers. It was a perfect day. The Sox won, the weather was beautiful for April in New England and then my dad came flying in the driveway and said, “Turn the news on. Someone bombed the marathon.”
We ran to the television and watched in complete horror. We knew friends that were at the race, and we were desperately trying to get in contact with them. I started sitting on social media and in front of the TV for the next couple of days.
Patriot’s Day is a big day in Boston and there’s so much to do. My family decided to stay home and relax. It’s crazy that’s what happened on such a perfect day.
While I was at my job during the next couple of days, I just sat on my phone. When the shootout happened in Watertown, we were listening to the play-by-play coverage that someone called into the news. It was surreal thinking that it was happening less than an hour away from me. I don’t think I’ve ever been more glued to a TV than I was when I listened to the shootout happening. It felt like I was watching a television drama. I kept thinking, “No way this could actually happen in real life.”
It’s crazy knowing it’s somewhere I’ve been. You can’t play a basketball tournament without playing in Watertown. My friends and I walk down Boylston every time we go to a Sox game.
Allie Piergustavo: Milford, Massachusetts
I had a softball game that day and I remember vividly how it was a beautiful day for April. After the game, my friends came over and we were playing street hockey in my driveway.
I went on Twitter and someone tweeted there was an explosion at the marathon. I didn’t know what to think because everything was so unclear. Ten minutes later, my dad came out and made us come inside. That’s when it all started unfolding.
I was in front of the television for the rest of the day. My cousins live in Belmont, which was one of the towns that ended up getting shut down when one of the bombers hid inside the boat in Watertown. That was definitely the scariest part for me, since I had family so close in the vicinity.
Everyone coming together shows how strong Boston and the state of Massachusetts are.
…Five years later, we are still reminded of the awful events that took place on such a celebrated day. It’s not uncommon for people from Massachusetts to meet each other and bring up where they were on April 15, 2013. What’s their story? Did they know someone at the finish line?
However, that day brought us and people from all over the world closer together. Everything seemed to stop that day and for the five days following, as law enforcement went on a manhunt for two individuals who did the unthinkable. I’ve never seen such an outpouring of love in such a short amount of time.
Five years ago taught me to keep life’s greatest blessings in full perspective. My dad could have easily been at the finish line; hell, my friends were. Nothing in life is promised and April 15, 2013 helped me realize that.
Photo courtesy of therunnerstickers.com
