IMAGINE NOT BEING A CELEBRANT?:

Following the difficult COVID years and with the memory of the 2013 attack still lingering, Monday seemed like the day the city needed -- and deserved. The sky was clear, a crisp breeze blew, and the temperature was 50 degrees, although it felt even warmer in the sun.

In Kenmore Square, an MIT fraternity, Phi Sigma Kappa, with its stereo system blaring, threw a party that spilled onto the sidewalk. "This is the day to live for," said one fraternity brother. Nearby, spectators cheered as runners streamed by, with the roar of the crowd at Fenway at times forming a raucous counterpoint.

All along the route, the atmosphere was, once more, festive.

In Hopkinton, even before the starting gun sounded, the party was in full swing at Todd and Laura Wauters's house on Grove Street, near the Athlete's Village. By 9 a.m., around 25 friends had gathered in the front yard to cheer on the hundreds of runners heading to the start.

"It's a great time," Todd said as speakers blasted "More Than A Feeling" by Boston and the party guests offered runners coffee and the use of the bathroom.

Just past mile 12, in Wellesley, college students lined Central Street to form the "Scream Tunnel." The scene lived up to the name with dozens of students yelling at the tops of their lungs and cheering on runners by their first names, which they read off their race bibs.

Olivia Fennell, a senior at Wellesley College, said that both of her mothers went to Wellesley and told her stories of cheering on Marathon runners.

"It feels like carrying on a tradition," Fennell said. "And I think this year especially, people are really excited to be out, having fun after not having it for years. There's definitely a real sense of community and enthusiasm for being a part of it."

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