Shoreline Runners Stand Together After Boston Bombings

This post was reported and written by Guilford Patch Editor Lauren Lanzon.

On Saturday mornings, runners from the shoreline usually gather at SoundRunner in Branford for a weekly 3- or 5-mile group run.

But this Saturday’s run was particularly special to participants. That’s because the run was dedicated to the victims of the Boston bombings.

“We wanted to put something together that showed we stand in solidarity with our fellow runners who ran the Boston Marathon and the victims of this tragedy,” Preston Ranton, general manager of SoundRunner, told Guilford Patch Saturday morning. “As a community, we wanted to stand together, which is why we held today’s run.”

About 40 runners turned out on Saturday morning to dedicate their miles in the group’s BostonStrong run. Several runners participated in the Boston Marathon this year. Both Bruce Beebe of Madison and Karen Febbraio of Guilford were in close range when the explosions went off, but luckily were far enough away to be out of harm’s way.

Ranton himself had been in Boston the day before the marathon, but had headed home Sunday night.

“My mom was there that day,” he continued. “But thankfully, she was a few blocks away at a restaurant when the explosions went off.”

The SoundRunner store also has special ties to the tragedy since Marathon Sports, which recently acquired SoundRunner, is located right at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, where the first explosion occurred.

“As runners, we are all part of a family, and this had a great impact on us,” continued Ranton. “We will continue to stand together after this tragedy.”

Ranton explained that they've encouraged folks via email blasts  to donate blood after the attack, and they hope to sell t-shirts in the coming weeks to benefit The One Boston Fund, which was established  immediately following the attack by Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick for the victims of the tragedy.