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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — On your mark, get set, wait in line.
That is what thousands of people did at the Hynes Convention Center Friday as the 127th Boston Marathon festivities officially kicked off. Runners from all over the country and the world gathered at the Boston Marathon Expo to pick up their bib numbers, attend panels, and bask in the excitement of the upcoming race.
"The camaraderie, just the whole entire state comes alive for this race and it’s just an amazing place to be," one runner told WBZ NewsRadio.
"It’s like a big running vacation," said another runner.
"The people in Boston come out and just support us like crazy, like we’re celebrities," another said.
The Expo runs Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
This year's race bears a special weight as it marks the tenth anniversary of the deadly Boston Marathon bombing that killed three people, including 8-year-old Martin Richard.
"It doesn’t really get any easier each year," said Rachel from Dorchester, a runner on Team MR8 of the Martin Richard Foundation. This will be the final year that Team MR8 runs in the race.
"It’s really incredible to live in a city where everyone rallies around this one event that only a few people from the city may be actually doing," Rachel said. "I mean I think everyone who lives in Boston can appreciate the marathon and understands the spirit."
WBZ's Madison Rogers (@MadisonWBZ) reports.
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