Henry Richard, whose younger brother died in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, completed the race for the first time on Monday, finishing an emotional 26.2 miles with an embrace from his family.
Henry was 10 years old when his brother, eight-year-old Martin Richard, was killed. Martin would have turned 18 this June.
Their sister, Jane, lost her left leg in the attack.
Henry, now 20, was among the more than 28,000 runners in Monday’s marathon. During the race, he wore a yellow Team MR8 jersey and had his siblings’ names written on his arms in marker.
As he neared the end of the race, an emotional Richard stopped at the Boston Marathon memorial on Boylston Street for several moments. He then turned and ran to the finish, pumping both fists in the air as he crossed the line.
He was quickly met by some of his family members, who greeted him with a warm embrace.
“So many people were out there for me,” Richard said after the race, per WCVB 5. “All my friends, my family. Motivation was the least of my worries. There was so many people there to support me. It was wonderful and I couldn’t believe it.”
Henry, who finished Monday’s race around 3 p.m., said the run was “years in the making.” He also said that he plans to enter the marathon again in the future.
“I’m just so glad I could finally be here,” he said, per NBC Boston. “So much emotion. I know Martin would have been doing it with me … I did it for both of us.”
