Thousands of marathon runners ready to celebrate after crossing finish line

Holding flowers, signs, custom t-shirts, and more, thousands of people waited excitedly to congratulate their loved ones for completing the Boston Marathon.

Peggy Yee’s younger brother finished his first one Monday.

“He did not want this picture printed out this big but I’m an older sister and we had to make it this big,” said Yee, a Boston resident.

While some runners raced for fun or a cause, one woman said she ran for herself.

“Last March I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and I had to go through chemotherapy radiation and I actually have one more fusion left,” said Renee Zengelmoore, who came all the way from Sparta, New Jersey.

Zengelmoore said running gives her the mental and physical strength to keep fighting.

“It feels amazing it was just I need to finish I need to do this I need to show that I can beat cancer,” she said.

Some other athletes said they just can’t get enough of the adrenaline rush.

Madeline MacMaster from Marblehead said she blew out her ACL for the third time last year and still hasn’t gotten it repaired. Luckily, she said she’s not in pain.

“This is my first ever marathon,” said MacMaster, “I get it, I have the itch now for that runner’s high.”

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