#4 Gloria Pulley

Waking up on that big day is always a challenge.  The morning is typically spent frantically reviewing the course maps or checking the weather or searching for you bib.  In the midst of worrying about your outfit and your playlist, the idea that anything worse than a side stich would occur is lost.  Convincing yourself that you’re ready, you walk out that door, fully expecting to return in a few hours, sweaty, exhausted, and starved.  

                The Boston marathon is one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious races, and the accomplishment of a lifetime for most runners.  To even qualify is an honor in itself.  On April 15^th, 2013, runners from all over the world came together for this event, but were met with tragedy when two homemade bombs went off near the finish line at 2:49 pm.  With thousands of runners still finishing, this was peak time.  Within seconds, the scene was transformed from a celebration of personal achievement to a bloody massacre.  In all, 260 were injured and three were killed in the blast. 

                Below is the memorial honoring the three runners and a police officer who were killed.  As to the significance of this picture, it represents the basic nature of most runners. We are resilient.  From scenes of carnage and destruction came images of random strangers helping the injured.  For weeks and months, people from across the country sent shoes with notes written on the treads, offering words of hope.  Stories of recovery popped up here and there in the news as survivors slowly pieced their lives back together.  For me, this picture captures what news stories can’t. It captures the compassion that comes with being a community.