Bombing survivor to make racing return at Boston Marathon

Printed from: https://newbostonpost.com/2016/04/15/bombing-survivor-to-make-racing-return-at-boston-marathon/

(Image via Adrianne Haslet-Davis, Twitter) (Image via Adrianne Haslet-Davis, Twitter)

BOSTON — Adrianne Haslet-Davis, the professional ballroom dancer who lost part of her leg three years ago today in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, next week will become the first bombing survivor to run the storied race.

Haslet-Davis, a race spectator on April 15, 2013, is one of 17 survivors who lost limbs from the terrorist attack that took place that day, killing three people and wounding 260 others.

One year after the bombing, Haslet-Davis ran the last few blocks of the race with her brothers. Last spring, she fox-trotted across the finish line of Boston’s 2015 Marathon wearing high heels and a ball gown.

On Monday, the 35-year-old from Seattle will be on the starting line in her running blade, ready to participate in the 120th running of Boston Marathon. An accomplished dancer before the bombing took part of her leg, Haslet-Davis never considered herself a runner.

“I could do a quickstep for hours, but I couldn’t run a block, but I have great trainers and I am getting more comfortable in my blade,’’ Haslet-Davis said in an interview with Boston.com in January.

She will be running with her team, “#AdrianneStrong,” to raise money for the Limbs for Life Foundation based in Oklahoma City. Limbs for Life offers prosthetic care for people who cannot afford it and raises awareness about the challenges amputees face.

In March, Haslet-Davis told TMZ that she is running to show the terrorists that she cannot be stopped.

“I’m running for those who can’t run and those that are being attacked ruthlessly by these cowards and I’m really happy to be doing that.”

In an interview with The Boston Herald, Haslet-Davis said she is running, “for all the people who allowed me to get here. It’s for everyone I ever met who sent me a note or a kind word.”

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