Brother, friends run marathon to honor Martin Richard 10 years after Boston bombing | 'I miss Martin'

It has been ten years since 8-year-old Martin Richard died in the Boston Marathon bombing that happened on April 15, 2013. His family and childhood friends still miss him and in his honor, they crossed the 2023 Boston Marathon finish line together, as reported by Boston.com. Henry Richard, Martin's brother, was joined by a group of classmates who had pledged to run the marathon once they turned 18 and were eligible to enter it. 

They ran as part of Team MR8, a group that is supporting the Martin Richard Foundation. The organization has raised more than $6 million for children's causes since 2013. "I'm feeling great. It was a great finish." Henry told WCVB5abc. "I'm glad that a big group of the team was able to finish together. It was a blast out there."

Also, last year, Henry ran the marathon to honor his brother and paused at the memorial on Boylston Street before reaching the finish line. "It's an emotional day. Definitely was thinking about that for most of the race," Henry said. "But we put together a fantastic team this year, people who mean so much to me, so much to my family. I'm incredibly proud of them."

Nolan Cleary, who called Martin "his best friend" leading up to the race day, said he was looking forward to rounding the final corner onto Boylston Street. “It’s gonna be really special,” Cleary said. “It’s definitely gonna bring the community together, and I’m definitely looking forward to turning down Boylston [Street] with everyone.” Other people who were part of the team were Martin's childhood friends, Jack Burke and Jessie DeLouis and also, his second-grade teacher, Rachel Moo.

Jane, Martin's sister, suffered serious injuries and also lost her left leg in the bombing. She wrote a heartfelt post on Instagram remembering her brother. “Ten years ago today my best friend died,” she wrote. “Growing up with Martin was the best thing that could’ve happened to me. Although I only spent 7 short years with him, the impact he left on me was immense. He was my partner in crime, and the best older brother you could ask for,” as reported by Boston25News.

She called her brother “the most charismatic eight-year-old I’d ever met.” “He was kind and loving, and smile his way through every inconvenience. Unlike most older siblings, he was the kind of brother that would dance and sing, and put up with any of my antics. We played street hockey and swam at the lake. Simply put, he was the kind of kid you wanted to be around,” she wrote.

“Just weeks before his passing, I remember cheering on the Bruins and him comforting me when they didn’t make it through the playoffs,” she wrote. “He could make you smile with the snap of his fingers, and I miss that so much. Over the years, he’s become a sort of brand of courage and kindness, but truth be told, if he saw me writing this right now, he would say, “Jane stop crying at your phone, you look dumb.” He was honest and witty, and sarcastic, and kind, and I am so sad that I couldn’t watch him grow into the incredible man I know he would be.” “I miss Martin, I miss my best friend. I love you kid, never stop smiling,” she wrote.

Martin was among the three people who died on April 15, 2023. The others were 23-year-old Lingzi Lu and 29-year-old Krystle Campbell. Besides that, more than 250 people were injured and 17 people lost limbs in the bombing.