Lohud photographer Seth Harrison finishes Boston Marathon

UPDATE: Veteran Journal News photographer Seth Harrison competed in his third Boston Marathon today. He crossed the finish line at 3:30 p.m. Eastern with a time of 4:05:01.

This is what he wrote for The Journal News before the race:

As I approached the last few miles of the 2013 Boston Marathon, a badly swollen knee forced me into a run/walk finish. After three knee surgeries, I was resigned to the fact that my second Boston would most likely be my last marathon. As I neared the Citgo sign that looms over the city, marking the point on the marathon course where there is only one mile to go, I could have sworn that whenever I stopped to walk, the crowds lining the course would start cheering for me. By the third time it happened, I was sure of it. Less than a mile before the finish, a guy in the crowd yelled, "You're awesome, man!" I yelled back, "No, you're awesome!" When the bombs went off about 15 minutes after I finished, I soon knew that these amazing people, who had carried me with their cheers across the finish line, were the targets of whoever had perpetrated this horror.

I drove home from Boston the next day with a broken heart. My thoughts since then have been focused on how I would love to be part of this year's marathon. For months, I tried to wrap my mind around not running Boston this year. While the knee that caused me so much trouble during last year's race remained troublesome, the rest of me, every fiber in my body — most of all my heart — longed to stand at the starting line in Hopkinton, Mass., one more time.

With no qualifying time for 2014 (Boston is the only marathon that sets time standards and requires most runners to qualify at a previous marathon in order to gain entry), the decision was pretty much made for me.

My experience at the 2013 Boston Marathon left me in uncharted territory. I had covered other tragedies and been in far more dangerous situations throughout my career. The difference this time was that I had never been so personally invested in a tragedy. As time went on, I moved on from the experience, but the desire to be present at this year's marathon never left me. With no qualifying time, there wasn't anything to be done.

Then last fall, I received an email from the Boston Athletic Association, the organization that runs the marathon. They were opening up a number of slots for those present at last year's marathon. They would choose runners for these slots based on short essays written by each applicant. They simply wanted to know what personal experience from last year's marathon was driving people to want to be part of the 2014 race. A promise I had made to myself to never run Boston without having qualified went out the window in an instant. I composed my short essay and sent it off. A few weeks later, I received an email from the BAA letting me know that my essay was one of those selected, and that I would be eligible to take part in the 2014 Boston Marathon.

I have run seven marathons, and I had qualified for and completed two previous Boston Marathons. I don't have anything to prove to myself by running another Boston. After three surgeries, my knee can make a very strong argument as to why last year's race should remain my last marathon. It turns out, however, that there's no place in the world I'd rather be than lining up with thousands of other runners Monday in Hopkinton.

As marathon runners know, there is no race quite like Boston, e

ven under normal circumstances. Besides being a notoriously difficult course, and one that is still considered the gold standard because of its qualifying requirements, the nation's oldest marathon is steeped in tradition. It is a race that is embraced by the entire region in a way that isn't duplicated at any other marathon. This year's marathon will be like no other. It is bound to be a redemptive and emotional day for all involved, a cathartic experience for an entire city. I am thrilled that I will get the opportunity to be part of it. As a runner, I can't think of a better way to honor the victims of the bombings at last year's race, and to show my love and support for a city that will not be defeated by the acts of madmen.