Shelby Runner Crosses 'Yard of Bricks' at the Indy 500

Before a single IndyCar passed the "Yard of Bricks" start and finish line at the Indianapolis 500, a group of runners including Nancy Smith took to the track to ceremonially complete the Boston Marathon. 
Smith, a third-grade teacher at Roberts Elementary, was one of the many runners who were stopped short of their goal of completing the marathon following the bombings at the finish line.
While she didn't officially finish the marathon, the Indiana Motor Speedway invited her and 34 other runners to ceremonially complete the race before the start of Sunday's Indianapolis 500.
For Smith, her half-mile run from turn 4 to the start/finish line of the track was "
truly one of the most incredible experiences of my life!" she wrote in an email to Patch.
"This was more than 35 runners symbolically finishing their marathon. This was about the resiliency of our nation!," she shared in the email. "This was about not quitting or letting any act of terrorism dampen our spirits to fight for freedom!"
The Indiana native added that everyone stood as the runners took to the track and once she crossed the finish line, she said "I cried and cried after finishing.  Not out of sadness . . . I think just a flood of emotions."