Teen London Marathoner Starts Boston Twitter Campaign
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Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)(LONDON) — Despite the bombing at Monday’s running of the Boston Marathon, leaving three dead and more than 170 injured, the London Marathon will proceed as scheduled Sunday.
Londoner Amelie Hunton, 18, will be participating in Sunday’s race, and she wants to make sure the people of Boston know the London runners are with them.
“I set up the campaign [@LONDON4BOSTON] for runners to acknowledge their bond beyond borders and support all those in Boston,” Hunton told ABC News.
Her hope is to get as many runners as possible to wear a green ribbon around their wrist as they complete the London Marathon Sunday.
The Twitter page Hunton created reads, “GREEN RIBBON DURING THE LONDON MARATHON in support of those in Boston who were killed, injured or just shocked and those who were denied a chance to finish.”
Hunton has been running since age 9, but this weekend’s race will be her first full marathon.
Since creating the Twitter page Tuesday, Hunton said she has already received a lot of support, both on Twitter and on the radio in England. She said she has been in contact with the organizers of the London Marathon in an attempt to get her green ribbon effort officially adopted.
About launching this grassroots effort, Hunton said, “I have not done anything like this before but was inspired to start this campaign after seeing the shocking images on the news last night.”
Representatives for the London Marathon have said the race will be issuing each runner a black ribbon to wear as a sign of “solidarity” with the people of Boston. There will also be a 30-second period of silence observed before the beginning of each of the three different starts Sunday.
Police in London were reviewing security plans for the London Marathon on Monday night.
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