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Tulsans running in the Boston Marathon

They call themselves a big family.

The group of runners that gather at the Tulsa Runner store on Riverside have made the trip to Boston. For some of them, it’s the third or fourth trip. For others it’s the first, but for all of them it’s certainly meaningful.

Ron Winn is part of that group running the Boston Marathon. He was there last year and heard the explosions first hand. Winn said that day was unbelievable.

“Before all that happened, I crossed the finish line, everything was wonderful. About 15 minutes later I heard the explosions.” Winn said.

He says he didn’t see any of the chaos from his hotel, but he was forced to stay inside and watch on TV.

Winn tells KRMG he’s going back this year to show his support for the race.

He’s also going to “show people that it’s not going to stop anything.” Winn continued.

Tulsa dentist Dr. Raj Patel is back again this year as well. Patel and his family had been at the finish line 30 minutes before the boms exploded. Patel told KRMG "I was in the shower a block away when the first bomb went off, the building shook."

Patel rushed out of the bathroom, "my family were looking out the window and say the second bomb go off."

Boston Police have stepped up security this year with more uniformed and undercover officers. They have also added about 100 security cameras and nearly 50 observation points where authorities can monitor the crowd.

You can track the Tulsa runners by either name or bibb number by clicking here. Dr. Patel's bibb number is 11754.

More here.

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