San Francisco runners join 5K in honor of Boston Marathon

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KTVU) – On Monday morning a small group of runners took part in a 5K run in honor of the Boston Marathon and the people impacted by the attack in 2013.

The run was especially meaningful for those who remember crossing the finish line in Boston two years ago.

"For runners, the Boston Marathon is like the Super Bowl, the World Series, Christmas and New Year's all rolled into one," said Ethan Veneklasen, "It's a really special event."

More than 3,000 miles away from Boston, a group of about 20-30 runners set out on a run from Justin Herman Plaza to the AT&T Ballpark and back, in honor of the Boston Marathon and the attack that happened there two years ago.

"Most of us have run the race, many of us know people running in it. It's a small way for us to be involved from thousands of miles away," Veneklasen said. He ran the 2013 Boston Marathon and crossed the finish line about an hour before the bombs detonated. "I was down the road having lunch with my wife, when the bombs went off," he said.

He said he and his wife were stunned when they watched the news coverage of the bombings and saw where the explosions happened. "My wife said, oh my god, that light pole is right where I was standing," he said.

The San Francisco Marathon organized the informal, 5K run as a show of support and solidarity with the Boston Marathon.

"I had family who was at the finish when the bombs went off, but fortunately, since I had finished, they had moved away," Carrie McCormick of Boston said.

McCormick crossed the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon about 40 minutes before the explosions.

She is from Boston and says that traumatic event is often in the back of her mind. "We still live it every day in Boston, especially right now with the trial going on," she said.

She was supposed to run this year's Boston Marathon, but was called away for a business trip to San Francisco. She said she heard about the memorial run on KTVU Monday morning and decided last minute to join in.

"What better way to commemorate the Boston Marathon when I can't be there," McCormick said.

For her, this morning's run was a form of therapy - and source of camaraderie - as she and her new-found friends sprinted down the Embarcadero.