I was in Boston in 2013. I was sitting in the media room at the Copley when we heard two “booms”; they were clear explosions. Sitting next to me was James O’Brien, publisher of the NYAC publication, The Winged Foot. James looked at me and said, “That’s a bomb.” It is nearly a decade later, and I still dream about the bombing in Boston.
My son, Adam, flew out that night and met me as we found the last room open in Boston on the riverfront. My hotel, the Charlesmark, was ground zero. The FBI closed it off, and my belongings were locked inside. Adam spent two days befriending FBI and Bostons’ finest, who gave him good-humored guff before they gave him fifteen minutes to clear out my room.
The day after the bombing in Boston was rough. I have never seen more machine guns in US government buildings at one time. The US Passport Agency produced my passport in 90 minutes and did not charge me a nickel. I had to leave for London the next day. The story that came out on Boston was tragic, and frustration still exists over what happened to the perpetrators.
Security stayed tough for several years, but issues are coming up.
Last weekend, in NYC, two bicyclists came onto the course and rode alongside the leading marathoners. This was a breaking of the security protocols at a major marathon. This is how problems occur at events.
Over the next year, RunBlogRun will be interviewing experts about sports security so we can encourage big and small events to stay safe. Vigilance is key in these uncertain times.
The article we were responding to came from EME News:
NEW YORK (USA): Securing a 26.2-mile course with millions of spectators is no easy task. Still, it was alarming to see not one but two cyclists find their way onto the course and pedal alongside the leader of the men’s race on Sunday. Thankfully neither of these incidents affected the race or harmed an athlete. But the NYRR and the NYPD need to examine what happened in these instances to ensure we don’t get a repeat moving forward. From letsrun.com.
