BOSTON, April 21 (RIA Novosti) – The Boston Marathon started Monday in Hopkinton, a suburban area of Boston, after a moment of silence recognizing the three people killed in the bombing last year.
There are around 36,000 registered runners, which is by one third more than last year. The runners have to cover the distance of 26,2 miles.
The heavy security is present along the entire route which is enclosed by metal fences. There are lots of police cars around. The traffic is completely blocked near the finish line on Boylston Street and the surrounding area. Hundreds of police and special forces officers are on duty in the neighborhood. Runners and fans attending the event are recommended to use clear plastic bags for their belongings.
Early in the morning the law enforcement agencies got a report about a suspicious orange backpack spotted in the Central Park, but nothing suspicious was found in the bag.
Three people were killed and over 260 wounded after two bombs went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15 last year. The brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev were soon after identified as suspects in the blasts.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed in a gunfight with police in the days following the bomb attack. His younger brother, Dzhokhar, tried to flee the city but was wounded and later arrested. He is now awaiting trial in federal court, scheduled to begin on November 3.
