In this phone interview, security expert and Boston Marathon runner Robert Siciliano shares his reflections on the recent conviction of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and its impact on Boston residents. He notes that while a sense of justice may bring some relief, the tragedy’s emotional weight remains. Siciliano describes the atmosphere surrounding the upcoming 2015 Boston Marathon, emphasizing how the race has become a symbol of resilience and community healing, with participants running for charitable causes and personal triumph. He details the heightened security protocols implemented since the 2013 bombings—helicopters, thousands of security personnel, and extensive ground presence—asserting that similar measures are expected for the upcoming race. Finally, he discusses the notion of closure, likening the lingering presence of the bombing to other national tragedies, and suggests that the conviction may aid the mourning process but will not erase the memory of the event.
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joined by Robert Siciliano on the phone. And Robert, you ran the Boston Marathon the year of the bombing. You are there in Massachusetts. Want to get your reaction to this news.
You know, uh, as long as justice is served, uh, the people who were victimized, everybody who was a witness, uh, as long as justice is served, uh, that's going to make a lot of people relatively Happy.
What do you think the general reaction is there in Boston now that this news is coming out? This has been going on for quite some time now. This, uh, trial has been taking place. Now we're going to wait and see whether he will be sentenced, uh, in the death penalty. What, what are your thoughts? What will be the likely reaction among Bostonians?
You know, I'd love to be able to say, you know, there'll be a sense of relief But it's not one of those things that you can actually be relieved of. It's something that happened. It affected a lot of people in a lot of different ways. Tragedy never really leaves you. It's always with you. And, uh, you know, as long as there's evil people in the world, uh, you know, we're— it's, it's hard to move forward from something like that.
What has it been like, uh, as this trial is going on? We understand that the 2015 Boston Marathon will take place later on this month, in just a couple of weeks. This is something that you've taken part in. What is the mood there as this approaches? Another anniversary, but another race.
You know, I'm running my fourth year this year, and, you know, every year it gets better, funner, you know, moving away from tragedy, you know, like it's a race opposed to, you know, a terrorist activity. And, you know, it's good when millions of people come together for the same cause, many of us for charities. And, you know, everybody's there with their families and just trying to, you know, run a race and have fun.
4 people died back in 2013 during the Boston Marathon. Crystal Campbell, Martin Richard, Lingzhi Lu, and Sean Collier as this happened, stretched out for a couple of days. How has security changed? I want to mention that you are a security expert. What has changed as far as security goes? What can we expect to see when this race happens again in just a few weeks?
When I ran last year, there were helicopters above me the entire time I ran. For 26 miles, there were helicopters above my head, and there were law enforcement officers, it seemed, every couple hundred feet. There were somewhere around 3,500 security professionals along the course, and, you know, it felt as safe as it could possibly feel. Obviously, there's no such thing as 100% security, but the literal boots on the ground and security in the air did and will do the best they possibly can.
Do you expect to see the same type of security this year?
I would expect nothing less of Massachusetts and the Boston Athletic Association. You know, it's all relative to the crime climate, but I'm guessing that this year will be just as tight.
Do you think there's been some closure in a sense after hearing that, uh, Djokhar Tsarnaev has been found guilty of all 30 charges against him?
You know, the fact that, uh, he was convicted of everything is, um, shows, you know, absolute justice as far as I'm concerned. And there is a, a, there'll be an element of closure, I'm moving forward, of mourning. There It takes place with every loss. And, you know, that might help it a little quicker. But, you know, it still lingers in the air. And it really— like 9/11 and all tragic tragedies before them, you know, they're always still in the air. All right.
Robert Siciliano, we appreciate your time. Thank you so much for joining us from Boston. We'll check in with you throughout the day.
