Steve Lachnicht isn’t afraid.
“Just because of the car accident, you don’t stop driving on the highway,” he said. “The best thing to do is to just go and carry on.”
Lachnicht, director of growth management for Alachua County, was running his fourth Boston Marathon when two bombs exploded last year, killing three and injuring more than 250 people.
Despite a faux bomb scare on the one-year anniversary last Tuesday, Lachnicht said he will run again in the marathon today.
Gainesville residents and UF alumni are joining runners across the country to race in Boston a year later. In the wake of the 2013 bombing, some runners expect an influx of people to come out to the marathon to show support.
UF alumnus Jeremy Criscione ran in the marathon in 2013, too. He will not make it to Boston this year but said he expects the turnout will be even higher.
“I think it’ll influence more people to want to run,” the 26-year-old said. “You can’t always live in fear.”
A commemorative run at the site of the bombings went sour Tuesday when a veiled man dressed in black ran screaming down the finish line carrying a backpack, according to a Boston Police Department statement.
Officers arrested 25-year-old Kevin Edson of Boston on charges of threatening battery; possession of a hoax explosive device; threats to commit a crime; disturbing the peace; disturbing a public assembly; and disorderly conduct, according to the statement.
At about 6:50 p.m., officers present for added security as well and civilians noticed Edson running barefoot, yelling and screaming. The event was open to the general public, according to the statement.
When officers stopped Edson, they removed his veil and hat to find his face painted blue and yellow. His backpack contained a rice cooker, according to the statement. Another unattended bag was found at the event but belonged to a media outlet.
When first-year UF dental student Neal Singh heard the news, he said he was in awe.
“I’m just shocked someone would really try to imitate what happened last year,” the 23-year-old said. “It just blows my mind.”
During his time as president of the Sikh Student Association, Singh organized a commemorative run for the bombings in 2013 just days after the event.
“We really just wanted to spread the message of equality,” he said. “Everyone’s life should be respected.”
Singh, who still helps out with the organization, said there are no plans for a commemorative run this year.
On Sunday, he joined a handful of officers and members at a place of worship in Tampa to celebrate the holiday Vaisakhi, and they reflected on the marathon after the service, he said.
“Our prayers are still with those victims and the families,” Singh said. “We keep them in mind always on some level.”
So does UF track team alumnus Matt Hensley, who drew the number 284 on a plain white jersey to commemorate the number of victims last year. He said he plans to wear the jersey when he runs this year’s marathon with his three brothers and his father.
Hensley and his family decided they would run the next marathon on the day of the 2013 bombings, the 26-year-old said.
“We’re here for the 284 and everyone else that was affected,” he said. “And that’s what the race is about.”
[A version of this story ran on page 1 on 4/21/2014 under the headline "A year after bombing, locals reflect, race again in Boston"]
