The Boston Marathon is considered the beginning of the road for many long-distance runners, and several Maritime marathons follow the iconic race.
After Monday’s bombing at the event, local race organizers are taking a second look at security measures.
“We realize that people are anxious and stressful over the recent events, tragic events that happened in Boston this past Monday,” says Patrick Grannan, the director of Saint John’s Marathon by the Sea.
Security shop owner Shannon Brake says security at major events doesn’t involve just police presence anymore, but also a technical presence. Brake works with security cameras and says more people are turning digital for their security needs.
“People are actually out there looking for business owners with security cameras to sort of pick up any footage they have,” says Brake.
This year marks the 38th anniversary of the Johnny Miles Marathon in New Glasgow, N.S.
Almost 2,000 runners take part in the event on the third Sunday in June.
“The call for the risk assessment is where we’ll identify anything that we may need to change,” says Terry Curley, race director for the Johnny Miles Marathon.
“Certainly there’ll be more of a police presence. I think that’s safe to say at any running event.”
Marathon by the Sea will kick off its 19th year in August. Grannan says exact security measures for the Saint John race won’t be determined until more information is released.
“We don’t really know what happened in Boston yet…we just have to wait and see what transpired here, who was involved,” says Grannan. “I’m sure the police will have protocols in place and we will continue to work closely with them.”
Two bombs, which were set off close to the finish line of the annual Boston Marathon, killed three people and wounded more than 170 on Monday. Some remain in critical condition.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Ashley Dunbar
