London Marathon 2013 : For Boston ; from the heart.

    Just to say , from our hearts  " Boston , we love you and we are standing with you !"  

                            

                                       

                                                                     

The annual London Marathon took place yesterday ,  21st April , 2013.

London Marathon 2013 wore a different  look this year  because people , the organisers , runners  and  spectators , were determined  to  make i this London Marathon  a bigger event than those of the  previous years as a show of support  for the victims of the  Boston bombing in  USA last week .

.Runners wore black ribbons  and there was a 30 seconds  silence to honour the victims of the Boston bombing.

                           

                      

As at the end of the day , £ 70,000 was raised  for the Boston victims. More donations are expected  to flood  in later.

Under the blazing sunshine , hundreds of thousands of people were present  to enjoy the Marathon festive atmosphere either as runners or spectators .

There was a higher  turn out this year as  a show of  SUPPORT and SOLIDARITY from London to Boston USA where bombs planted  by  terrorists  killed three people  and injured several  hundreds,  the previous week , .at  the finishing  line of  Boston , USA Marathon , 

                                   

                                   

I did not run in the  Marathon this year . I was present  as a spectator  to cheer  my running  buddies and was there  to join  others to  declare to  those who  think they  could  use violence and fear to intimidate and  terrorise the world ;  that they have failed to do so .

                              

What type of human beings  would think of  planting bombs to kill and maim  innocent members of the public; spectators  and marathoners in Boston?

Innocent people who  were trying  to raise funds  to make life better for thousands of  people , worldwide ?

Terrorists are attention-seekers who depend on the oxygen of  publicity and their weapon is  FEAR .

Their modus operandi  is  to kill and maim as many people as they could ; as a message  of  terror  to the rest of he world ; in order  to make people  to tremble before them and to accept whatever  message  the terrorists  want  to peddle..

 The only way  to defeat terrorists and other attention-seeking cowards and bullies is to stand up to them.

 Cowering in fear before terrorists or going into hiding  from them , compromising with them , trying to dialogue with them , to appeal to their humanity and  trying  to placate them are tactics which  have not worked and will not work when dealing with  with terrorists .

Look them in the face and declare , " We say NO ! We are not terrified  of you ! You cannot  succeed in your  mission  to  intimidate us  and force us  to accept  your  belief system and way of life! !"

That , exactly, was  what the participants at the London  Marathon said to all  TERRORISTS yesterday !

   Remarkably , there were present  from the USA , runners  who took part in the Boston Marathon were the terrorists bombing  took place.

                        

                                    

 

                       

                     Prince Harry greeting spectators and runners

            

           

                    Sir Richard  Branson , Sponsor of the Marathon  greeting  spectators

                              

                              

                             

         Laying out adequate  Security  was a key feature of the event 

                         

                 

                          

                            

 

                       Runners taking a breather at Canary wharf 

Missing girl - Madeline McCann's mother , showing her medal at the finishing line.

Runners at Canary Wharf

Very ingenious! Surprise Marriage Proposal  on the tracks

                                                       WILL YOU MARRY ME ?!

A day out in London is incomplete without seeing  the tourist sights . 

                             

AND ,  . yes, you guessed right , hit the shops, chill out , SHOPPING!

 

                              

The day was action- packed day of lots of  fun , fun , fun and lots of laughter ! 

There  were thousands of  funny, colourful   and unusual costumes worn by the various fund raisers.

                    Oh dear !

At Tower Bridge 

       Mo  Farah  - lacing up .

                                

                                                   

                                       

The Medals