Runners will unite in Boston Marathon tribute at Rose Bowl

By Veronica Rocha

April 19, 2013 12 AM PT

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A Pasadena running club’s move to unite athletes in honor of victims of the Boston Marathon bombing has turned into a nationwide movement, with numerous groups organizing their own tribute runs this weekend.

The Unity Run on Sunday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena quickly gained traction among other running clubs, which are now hosting similar gatherings in New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver and San Monica, said John Beatty, organizer and member of the Pasadena Pacers Running Club.

“Not only did [the bombing] not stop us, it brings us together,” he said. “Runners support each other.”

More than 50 people in the greater tri-city region were registered to participate in the Boston Marathon on Monday, and so will forever be tied in some way to the tragedy that struck when a pair of bombs detonated near the finish line, killing three and injuring more than 170 people.

At least four runners from the Pasadena club who participated in the marathon were unharmed, Beatty said.

But that didn’t stop him from reaching out to running clubs in other U.S. cities to put together an event that would encourage and inspire the athletes to continue with their sport.

Soon, running clubs across the nation began committing to host their own Unity Runs this weekend in honor of the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.

“This is bigger than what we imagined,” Beatty said.

One Facebook user from a New York-based running group thanked Beatty and the Pacers for creating the nationwide movement to “show solidarity” as runners in support of Boston and to “honor the memory and show respect to those who died or were hurt” by the explosions.

Members of the L.A. Leggers will be wearing yellow and blue in honor of the Boston Marathon during a 5K tribute event at Sunday’s CicLAvia event, said the group’s president, Jennifer Fah.

“We support our city and each other,” she said. “The running community is a united front.”

The run, which starts at 10 a.m. at Windward Circle in Venice, will take place in conjunction with Pasadena’s Unity Run at the Rose Bowl.

Fah urged runners not to let the fear of attack at open public events keep them from participating because, she said, “you can’t let the fear win.”

“The best thing we can do is to get out there and don’t let it change our lives,” Fah said.