The weekend before the Boston Marathon feels like a party, with runners, tourists and residents thronging to the blocks around the finish line to shop, snap selfies with their yellow race bibs and celebrate one of the city’s most joyous occasions.
But the crowds on Boylston Street fell silent at 2:49 p.m. Saturday, as the bell at the historic Old South Church rang to commemorate the moment when two bombs exploded on the street below during the 2013 marathon, killing three people, injuring more than 250 and stunning the city, the running community and the world.
Azadeh Smeltzer, 62, a Philadelphian who planned to run her fourth Boston Marathon and 136th marathon overall on Monday, was among those who paused to listen near a stone memorial to the victims, surrounded by tulips and daffodils.