A total of 23,336 runners started the Boston Marathon, with 17,580 finishing. The Associated Press analyzed images and data over the past several days to pinpoint some of the runners who were in the finish line area when the bombs went off. These are some of their stories.
Growing up as the son of a Marine, Matt Hendricks heard about the value of living in a free country from his father, Doug. The Washington Capitals forward listened and believed it.
For the Kent family of Amherst, N.H., getting dressed for the holidays often means lacing up hiking boots or buckling a helmet. For the past 11 years, they have made a tradition of spending many Thanksgivings, Christmases and Easters at a national park doing something active.
What looks like the NFL's latest nightmare played out on a football field an hour from Boston nearly six weeks ago. In a Pop Warner game between longtime rivals Southbridge and Tantasqua, five kids between the ages of 10 and 12 were concussed, all on the losing team, three in the first quarter and the last one on the final play of the game.
Like a lot of financially challenged students, Rick Berger struggled through college. Upon graduation he landed a job a couple of states away with no way to get there.
