When 30,000 runners start the iconic Boston Marathon Monday, Toronto resident Jean-Paul Bedard will be there, taking part in his 14th Boston race.
While Bedard has more than 130 marathons under this belt, a lot changed for him after 2013, when two bombs detonated at the race's finish line, just minutes after he had crossed.
Three people were killed and dozens more grievously injured in those moments that made Bedard vow he would never return.
But he’s broken that vow, returning to run the Boston Marathon several times since 2013. Yet, even now, he says the emotions of the day of the explosions still return each time he heads to the starting line.
“I’ve been back a few times since the bombing and I thought I vanquished a lot of those ghosts, but walking the streets over the last few days, I still get really nervous and uneasy every time I hear sirens going through the narrow streets down here,” Bedard told CTV’s Canada AM on Monday.
But he says the mood is in the city is good, so after an unusually good night’s sleep, he’s ready to hit the pavement.
“It’s been such a jovial atmosphere this year and the weather is fantastic and I think everybody’s looking for a good run,” he said.
