Anne Giovanoni
I was stopped at Comm. Ave. and Mass. Ave., about half a mile before the end. I’d been running for four hours—this was my fifth Boston Marathon—and I was on course for my personal best. We started hearing sirens, and slowly I started to realize that something had happened. I knew that my mother and best friend were in the stands, and it was incredibly nerve-wracking, going through that process, trying to be logical, trying to get in touch with them. The volume of sirens was just incredible. You’re trying to put it together. You’re so close, you can’t quite comprehend it.
—As told to Boston magazine. Photo by Scott M. Lacey