RUNNING IN DEFIANCE
Toronto marathoners will remember Boston,
Immediately following the Boston Marathon bombings, several concerned parents called Toronto marathon organizer Jay Glassman and withdrew their kids from volunteer roles in the upcoming event.
But a few days later, Glassman says, he heard from them again. They asked him to put their children’s names back on the list.
“Given some time to think about it, they realized that life’s got to go on,” he said. “You can’t give in.”
More than 12,000 runners and 1,000 volunteers are expected to participate in the GoodLife Fitness Toronto Marathon on Sunday, where Glassman predicts that there could be as many as 60,000 spectators spread across the length of the course. And rather than deter athletes and supporters, he says the tragedy has galvanized Toronto’s tight-knit running community.
“The community, almost in defiance of what happened, will come together stronger and better than before,” Glassman said.
The memory of Boston, not yet a month old, will be palpable at the event, from the minutes of silence planned at Mel Lastman Square at the start of each race to the “Remember Boston” patches on every bib.
On the run’s website, organizers are urging runners and spectators to “be vigilant,” and notify police or race officials “should you notice anything suspicious.” For security reasons, Glassman declined to discuss any special precautions that are planned for this weekend’s event, but described security measures as “status quo.”
In past years, between 250 and 300 paid-duty police officers have provided security for the event, Glassman said. Toronto police spokesman Mark Pu- gash would not say if that number will rise this weekend, or confirm whether security arrangements have changed in any way, but he said there is currently “no increase in threat levels” in the city.
“We’re always monitoring any threats against the city. We tweak our security arrangements when that’s necessary,” Pugash said.
Security, however, is not a worry for Julie Yip, who will be running her first full marathon on Sunday. Yip, who manages the York Mills location of the Running Room, said she has “never heard anyone express concern” about the upcoming race.
“If anything, it’s like, ‘We’re going to show them,’ ” said Yip, who plans to wear a blue and yellow ribbon during the race to show her support for Boston.
Kevin Smith, who travelled from Toronto to run Boston, and was in a pub a block past the finish line when the explosions went off, has registered for the half-marathon this weekend.
Smith said his body is still healing from the wear-and-tear of the recent marathon. But if possible, he will run on Sunday.
“People are really gathering together and celebrating being runners,” he said. “There’s a need to get out there with other runners. We feel like there’s safety in numbers — safety with brethren.”