Local Runner to Complete Boston Marathon in Rochester

Nancy Smith was nearly one mile from the finish line of the Boston Marathon when she was directed off the course after the explosions at the finish line.

While she was unable to finish her 13th marathon on April 15, she will have her chance Thursday in Rochester.

Smith, a third-grade teacher at Roberts Elementary, and Stephanie Schreiber Bland will take part in the Your Pace or Mine Running Club run dedicated to the 2013 Boston Marathon at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 25, at Rochester Municipal Park, 608 Seventh St, Rochester.

They will be wearing their bibs and shirts, and will have medals placed around their necks at the finish.

"I'm so grateful to them for providing this sense of emotional closure for me," Smith wrote in an email. "I know the other woman, Stephanie, feels the same way."

The club will hold a moment of silence followed by a one-mile loop around the park to honor the Boston Marathon. Participants are asked to wear blue and yellow colors, race shirts or items related to Boston for the event. It will end at O'Connors Pub in Rochester.

For more information about the event, visit the event Facebook page.