The 120^th Boston Marathon, held on Monday, was another race filled with powerful memories of what it means to be “Boston Strong.”

Three years ago, the marathon was marked with bombings at the finish line, killing three civilians and injuring over 260 others.

This year for the first time two runners who had each lost a leg in the bombings completed the 26.2 mile course. Patrick Downes and Adrianne Haslet-Davis each ran on a prosthetic leg.

“I feel like I’m celebrating the body that I have left, and it feels spiritual,” Downes told The Boston Globe before the race. “It feels triumphant.”

The race took place on a gorgeous day; however the presence of strong security was evident. Authorities said they found no credible threats to the race.

On the men’s side, 21-year-old Lemi Bernahu Hayle of Ethiopia won in 2:12:44 seconds, pushing himself one minute ahead of Lelisa Desisa, who won the race last year.

Atsede Baysa was the women’s winner, creating a five-year streak in which Ethiopian women had won the race, finishing at 2:29:19.

Despite the bombings several years ago, people flocked from all over the world to watch and participate in the Boston Marathon. Over 16,000 males and 14,000 females were entered into the race. It was an extremely diverse group of runners, with every U.S. state represented and citizens of 99 world countries.

The energy and spirit brought this year to the marathon once again shows that no matter how tragic or horrific an event, the world will remain Boston Strong.