On April 20, thirty thousand racers lined up to run and compete in the 119^th annual Boston Marathon. However, this year’s race was more significant than usual, as it commemorated the two-year anniversary of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, which killed three people and injured over two hundred fifty.

After two years of waiting, justice has finally been served. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was convicted on all 30 charges brought against him from the 2013 Boston bombings on April 8, 2015. The same jury, made up of seven women and men, have sentenced Tsarnaev to death under federal statutes; the state of Massachusetts has no death penalty.

Described as the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil since September 11, 2001, many people wished to see Tsarnaev receive a death sentence. However, the defense argued it was his older brother, Tamerlan, 26, manipulated Dzokhar and it was the older brother who planned the Boston bombing. Dzokhar allegedly stated in questioning that Tamerlan intended to set another bomb off in Times Square at a later date.

Despite the direct impact of the bombing, lengthy trial, and disturbing witnesses testimonies, Boston residents, in a recent poll, voted 62% in favor of the life sentence and only 28% in favor of the death sentence. Bill and Denise Richards, parents of Boston bombing victim Martin Richards, 8, begged the grand jury to drop the possibility of the death penalty, “We are in favor of and would support the Department of Justice in taking the death penalty off the table in exchange for the defendant spending the rest of his life in prison without any possibility of release and waiving all of his rights to appeal,” They stated, tired of constantly being forced to relive the horrible day their son was murdered. “We know that the government has its reasons for seeking the death penalty, but the continued pursuit of that punishment could bring years of appeals and prolong reliving the most painful day of our lives. We hope our two remaining children do not have to grow up with the lingering, painful reminder of what the defendant took from them, which years of appeals would undoubtedly bring.”

The Richards ended by saying, “We believe that now is the time to turn the page, end the anguish, and look toward a better future.”

As seen during this years marathon, the contestants, families, and thousands of supporters all carried out the Richards’ wish for a better future. Unlike the one-year anniversary of the bombing, which had many people afraid of a repeat attack, the 2015 marathon symbolized hope and a new beginning for the victims, Boston, and the United States of America.