“Watching My Big Sister Run The Boston Marathon After Surviving It 11 Years Ago Together”

While challenging, marathons are meant to be a time of celebration and community. One of the most famous ones in the U.S. is the Boston Marathon. But 11 years ago, on April 15, a terrorist attack changed the course of everyone’s lives. Near the finish line, two bombs went off. Three people were killed and 260 were wounded. Needless to say, this tragic event still has an impact on countless people.

Even still, there are folks from across the country who continue to participate in the Boston Marathon. In fact, it’s common to find some of the very people were there the day of the bombings back in the marathon today. This includes sisters Gabby and Sophie Barker. This week was the 11th anniversary of the attack, and Gabby chose to be a participant. The day turned out to be quite emotional for the both of them.

In the video above, we see Sophia’s view from the sidelines. Here, she happily cheers on her big sister, Gabby, who seems to be having a great time, as do her fellow participants who run alongside her.

“Watching my big sister run the Boston Marathon after surviving it 11 years ago together,” Sophie writes, adding in the caption, “Gabby, you are so amazing.”

In her own video, Gabby expresses how much this day meant to her as well.

“The feeling of going from Boston Marathon survivor to Boston Marathon finisher,” Gabby writes, adding, “I can’t stop crying.”

I can’t imagine what it must feel like to be back there, over a decade later, and after such a terrible tragedy. But according to both Sophie and Gabby, it was a day full of a wide range of emotions. And it’s clear they wouldn’t have wanted to experience them with anyone else but each other.

You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.