Families celebrating Easter contrasted with tight security checks as Boston welcomed tens of thousands of runners and hundreds of thousands of spectators for the annual marathon.
Diners gathered at sidewalk cafes and runners in their official jackets picked up last-minute supplies on Sunday, the day before the 42.2km race.
Gisele Goldstein, of Germantown, Tennessee, planned to run her 12th Boston Marathon Monday.
She said the day was marked by sadness a year after pressure cooker bombs killed three people and injured more than 260 others.
She said an alarm that went off Friday at a runners expo spooked people. It was a test.
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Ricardo Corral of New York planned to race in the hand-cycle division of the wheelchair race. He said he's reassured by the police presence.
