PERRYSBURG, Ohio — Bright and early at 6:30 in the morning, Lisa Stevens set out for 26.2 miles. Her fifth Boston Marathon might not have looked the same but she was determined to make this year special.
"After being at the finish line for the bombing in 2013, this is a positive Boston Marathon historic moment," Stevens said. "To this kind of support from friends and family was amazing."
Stevens wasn’t expecting so many people to show up along the route to cheer her on, but she’s glad they did.
"I was planning on doing this alone. I told one person and it evolved into this. It helped me along the way because that's what you miss, the crowd of Boston," Stevens said.
Her friends made it a memorable marathon. Each mile marker was a place she would have run through in Boston. Even the infamous Heartbreak Hill. Small touches like that fueled her from one mile to the next.
"I am so thankful that they went out of their way to do things like that. A lot of those things were surprises to me. It helped me focus a little more to remember what this is and what this meant. To be able to take my family and friends to Boston with me, It was special," she said.
Dozens gathered near the finish line. As she hit the final stretch, cheers erupted. Guiding her to a four-hour and five-minute finish.
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