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Boston Marathon: Tighter Security in Place for 119th Running, Two Years After Blasts

The race steps off one day before a jury begins deciding whether Dzhokhar Tsarnaev should die for his role in the 2013 attack.
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/ Source: NBC News

Tighter security is in place on Monday as 30,000 runners get ready for the Boston Marathon — the 119th running and the second since two bombs shattered the race and terrorized the city.

The race, 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boston, steps off one day before a jury begins deciding whether Dzhokhar Tsarnaev should die for his role in the 2013 attack.

The extra security includes more police on bicycles and more fencing separating the race from spectators. Three people were killed and more than 260 injured in the two blasts on April 15, 2013.

Tom Grilk, the executive director of the Boston Athletic Association, said last week that the focus this year will be on “competition and excellence.”

“We start there, every time. Including last year,” he said. “What happened in 2013 was the closest and perhaps most poignant part of our history, but part of the history.”

IN-DEPTH

— Erin McClam