NH's Amanda McCann Runs for Those Who Can't

She returns to the Boston Marathon one year after the bombing

Physical therapist Amanda McCann was a giddy celebrity watcher last year when the elite Boston Marathon runners first crossed the finish line. Then came the bomb blasts.

“We were in such a great mood at the beginning of the day. A few hours later we were wiping up blood and people were leaving in wheelchairs,” she recalls. “To tell you the truth, that whole couple of hours after the bombing is now one big blur.”

Nashua’s McCann, who works at the Southern New Hampshire Medical Center, was volunteering at the medical tent when it was suddenly transformed into an army field hospital. This year, she plans to return to the finish line as a runner, dedicating her first Boston Marathon to Camp Shriver, an inclusive sports program mixing children with and without disabilities.

A week before that, she’ll be running the last four miles of One Run For Boston, a nonstop 24/7 cross-country relay in honor of last year’s bombing victims. The second annual tribute, a fundraiser for the One Fund, began in Santa Monica, Calif., on March 16 and wraps up April 13 on the Boston Esplanade. Runners pass an Olympic-style torch to each other at 336 different checkpoints.

“We’re running for the people who can’t run anymore,” says McCann. “What happened in Boston crosses my mind every single time I’m out for a run.”

To run a leg of the relay or sponsor a runner, visit onerunforboston.org. You can register for the Massachusetts legs as late as April 12.