Thousands of Boston Marathon runners were still making their way to the finish line when the bombs went off yesterday afternoon.
According to figures released by the Boston Athletic Association, some 4,496 runners had already crossed the 40K (24M) mark when they were ordered to stop.
A further 1,246 participants were stopped before reaching 40K.
Feeling a strong need to give those 5,742 individuals a chance to finish the race on their own terms, Boston College students Dani Cole and Michael Padulsky launched a Facebook event aimed at doing just that.
"Boston Marathon: The Last 5" — which is scheduled for Friday, April 19th, @ 4:30 PM — invites anyone affected by the bombing to participate in a five-mile walk from Boston College to Copley Square, the site of the bombing, in a show of solidarity and support.
"For anyone who did not get to finish, For anyone who was injured, and For anyone who lost their life...we will walk," the event organizers wrote in describing the walk. "We will walk to show that we decide when our marathon ends."
Over 12,000 have signed up so far, with dozens more adding their name to the list every hour.
"Boston Marathon: The Last 5" is part of a ever-growing list of ways to express support for the city of Boston. At least one other "make-up race" has been announced on Facebook, with over 1,000 already confirming their participation.
[photo via Instagram]