By: Callie Gao
On the third Monday of April, it is Patriots Day, also known as Marathon Monday, which is an important occasion in Boston. It’s celebrated to commemorate the revolutionary victory in the Battles of Lexington and Concord during the American Revolutionary War.
There are many activities that happen during Marathon Monday; an example of this is the Boston Marathon, which is famous for being one of the oldest foot races in the world. It has even had many famous and great runners, like the world record holder, Eliud Kipchoge. It’s also a very important day for the Boston Red Sox baseball team. Every year on Marathon Monday the Red Sox play the earliest MLB game; they do this so that once the game is over, their fans can watch the rest of the marathon.
Gordon Edes, a historian for the Red Sox, said, “Those of us who live here and grow up here take pride that the American Revolution began here… Talk about an organic beginning to war. You had militiamen coming from all of the neighboring towns coming to Concord and Lexington lining up and facing the strongest empire in the world at the time, the British army.”
The Boston Marathon means much more to Boston than just a marathon run; it represents their country and people of all ages get to participate in it. T.K. Skenderian, the communications director for the Boston Marathon, says, “From the community involvement to the seven-year-old passing out oranges to the 70-year-old running for their best time, competing to win their age group, all of them take an enormous sense of pride in the event and the city. In many ways, this race doesn’t just represent the best parts of our city and the people who live within it. It represents the best there is in mankind.” Edes agrees with Skenderian, who thinks, “The Boston Marathon is far more than a 26-mile race… It’s a community street carnival. It’s a welcome holiday, a harbinger of spring. It’s all of those things.”
In 2013, something tragic happened at the race. Three people died and many were wounded because of terrorists that had set off two bombs at the end of the marathon. This left the city and many people in shock. In 2014, the population of runners increased as it grew from about 27,000 to 36,000; this was the marathon’s second-highest number of runners ever. In 2016, the marathon nearly achieved $31 million for charity.
In conclusion, Patriots Day is important to the city of Boston because it represents the history, culture, and people. People that live in Boston come together to celebrate this once-a-year event for years.
Sites used:
-https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2704041-what-is-patriots-day-your-introduction-to-bostons-greatest-holiday#