One year ago today, two backpacks containing pressure cooker bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

The two blasts took three innocent lives: 8-year-old Martin Richard; 23-year-old Lingzi Lu; and 29-year-old Krystle Campbell. There were 264 reported injuries as a result of the bombings.

On the anniversary of this horrific event, the city of Boston, Mass. and surviving victims have come together, determined to not let the memory of that horrible day defeat them. Said Nancy Taylor, minister of the Old South church in Boston, “We’re going to reclaim the finish line and take our race back.”

At 2:49 pm, family members of the victims will hold a minute long silence in observation of the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. This will mark the time of the explosion of the first bomb.

The Old South church’s bell will be rung at the end of the minute of silence.

Prior to the observation, 3,000 people are expected to take part in a special ceremony at Boston’s Hynes Convention Center. The invitation-only tribute will be attended by Vice-President Joe Biden, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, and newly-elected Boston Mayor Martin Walsh among others.

BOSTON MARATHON ANNIVERSARY: These officers will stand guard here all day @BostonGlobe via @EvanMAllen pic.twitter.com/UkwN9xJnXA

— NewsBreaker (@NewsBreaker) April 15, 2014

In the aftermath of the Boston Marathon Bombings, steps have been taken to ensure that the events of that day are not repeated.

Over 100 cameras have been installed along the Boston city portion of the marathon. There have been 50 observation points set up around the area of the finish line to carefully monitor the crowd.

As an extra safety measure, traffic and parking will be prohibited on certain streets in the days leading up to the marathon.

Even with all the added measures, Boston law enforcement and city officials will still have their work cut out for them. This year the level of participation is up 9,000 spots to 36,000. The sharp rise in participants suggests there will be even more observers on hand than there were last year.

Despite the additional work needed to assure the safety of runners and supporters, it’s encouraging that so many have been moved to show up this year in support of the city and event.

This year’s race is scheduled to take place on Monday, April 21st.

Today marks the year anniversary of the Boston Marathon, where a bomb killed 3 and injured 264 http://t.co/lbNhYocU1q pic.twitter.com/wPx1NmM4UC

— Yahoo UK News (@YahooNewsUK) April 15, 2014

Image via Wikimedia Commons