A ballerina dances in front of an applauding crowd. She leaps and bounds across the stage. These are more than just physical leaps and bounds; this March at the Vancouver TED Talks was the first time since last April that she has had the ability to dance. This ballerina, Adrianne Haslet-Davis, is one of the Boston Marathon survivors who lost her leg and with the help of a prosthetic has now regained the ability to dance. Haslet-Davis symbolizes the entire city of Boston, once broken but now stronger than ever.

After the events in Boston last April, the city rallied and the motto “Boston Strong” seemed to appear everywhere, be it tweets, t-shirt slogans or even tattoos. Patrick Clark, Barnstable High School principal and a runner at the marathon last year, said the marathon this year will be redemptive for the city as a whole.  Clark plans to run again this year.

“My time and my place is less important than the fact that I will still be running with a large group of people after last year’s tragedy,” he said.

According to the Boston Athletic Association, it is expected that more people will be in attendance than ever before. The marathon begins in Hopkinton on Monday, April 21 at  8:50 a.m.

The BAA has increased security since last year and more police officers will be present than in years past. New restrictions include a ban on wearing bulky clothing that conceals the face, carrying bags while watching or running the race, and holding large signs or flags.

“Security has stepped up and the city has realized how important safety is so I wouldn’t be scared to go back,” said Barnstable High School freshman and spectator at the marathon last year, Caitlynne Dawson. Dawson isn’t alone in her opinion.

“With the one-year anniversary coming up, there are a lot of feelings and emotions, but training for the marathon brought us together and helped unify our department. It shows that we can do something positive in the face of something so tragic,” Watertown Police Officer Catherine Welch said in a  March Boston Globe article.

Last December, Vantage Deluxe World Travel hosted an all expenses paid cruise around France for the marathon survivors. This was just one of many ways that people and organizations have tried to compensate for the events last April. The One Fund, a non-profit organization created by Governor Deval Patrick and former Mayor Thomas M. Menino has donated more than 61 million dollars to the victims and their families.

Krystle Campbell, Martin William Richard, Lingzi Lu and security guard Sean Collier will not be forgotten. Their memory will live on through family and friends and the 264 surviving victims. Jeff Bauman, a man who lost both of his legs, has just announced he is expecting a child with his fiancé. Jane Richard, Martin’s sister, has regained the ability to run with the help of a prosthetic leg. The city will recover as long as people remember what year old victim Martin Richard said, “no more hurting people, peace.”