2014 Boston Marathon: A New Boston Emerges as Runners Kiss Finish Line

Boston has been continuously referred to as "changed forever" after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. But it seemed that after the runners kissed the finish line during this year's marathon, a new state of Boston emerged.

In 2013, many lives were altered after a bomb exploded during the Boston Marathon. The investigation led a man named Dzokhar Tsarnaev who apparently had carried the bomb to the finish line area where it exploded and killed many lives.

According to New York Times, Tsarnaev was found wounded by gunfire, hiding in a boat in a suburban Boston backyard nearly a year now. He is now in "isolation" at the Federal Medical Center in Devens, Massachusetts where he is being held as he awaits a November trial.

"He cannot mingle, speak or pray with other prisoners. His only visitors are his legal team, a mental health consultant and his immediate family, who apparently have seen him only rarely," the report said.

The Boston Marathon bombing appeared not to have only rocked the marathon's finish line, but it has also rocked the world. It moved everyone into tears, hoping and praying for all the victims of the tragedy. According to a Huffington Post report, the bombing has killed three people and has left 260 others injured.

One of the athletes who were present during the bombing was 32-year-old three-time Olympian Shalane Flanagan. Reports said Flannagan was the "first elite athlete" to call and ask to join the 2014 Boston Marathon following the bombing. The American athlete finished fourth place in the previous year. Although she finished seventh this year, reports said it was Flannagan's personal-best performance.

"It does mean a lot to me that my city is proud of me," Flanagan told reporters, who currently lives in Portland, Oregon.

"I'm proud of how I ran and, like I said, I don't wish it were easier. I just wish I were better. It was a really heartfelt effort today."

This year's Boston Marathon winner was an American runner named Meb Keflezighi. According to Reuters, he was the first American to have won the race since 1983.

"This is probably the most meaningful victory for an American, just because of what happened here last year," Keflezighi told reporters shortly after crossing the finish line.

"I kept thinking Boston strong, Boston strong, Meb strong, Meb strong," the 38-year-old also said. And yes, it could have been true. Boston is "changed forever" as it is apparently stronger now than before.