Runners Respond To Boston Marathon

As everyone took to Twitter and other forms of social media to express their reactions to the explosions that rocked the Boston Marathon yesterday, the running community was no exception.

In many ways, marathoners and their families are uniquely positioned to explain to us the emotional significance of this attack. As Washington Post columnist (and husband to a marathon runner) Ezra Klein so eloquently said, "The finish line at a marathon is a small marvel of fellowship."

Meanwhile Jezebel staff writer and marathon runner Erin Gloria Ryan explained:

One of the many puzzling aspects of yesterday's attacks was the question of what, exactly, the perpetrators thought they'd accomplish by targeting what basically amounts to a celebration of human tenacity. If anything, the tragedy in Boston will further solidify the bond between runner and spectator. And when the Chicago marathon happens this October, I'll show up to run harder, and they'll show up to cheer louder. If anyone thought this attack would discourage the runners or the watchers, they've clearly never been to a marathon.

Have a look through the ways runners have been processing the tragic events of April 15 and tell us in the comments or @HealthyLiving: How did the runners and spectators in your lives react?