Increased security over the final two miles of the Boston Marathon will include police at 40 to 50 checkpoints along Boylston Street from Massachusetts Avenue to the finish line, according to the Boston Globe.
There will be more uniformed and undercover police officers along the marathon route, too, officials said at a press conference Saturday.
The 118th Boston Marathon on April 21 comes one year after bombings killed three people and injured more than 260 near the finish on Boylston Street.
Some 36,000 runners — 9,000 more than last year — and perhaps more than one million spectators are expected for the 26.2-mile race on Patriots’ Day.
They will face measures such as 3,500 police officers — uniformed and in plain clothes and more than double last year’s amount, according to The Associated Press. Also, bomb-sniffing dogs, more surveillance cameras and increased barriers separating runners from spectators.
There will be more than 100 security cameras and 13 ambulances on the Boston portion of the marathon, with 50 observation points to monitor the crowd. Plus, 140 emergency medical service workers on foot, bike and vehicles and in medical tents, according to the AP and the newspaper.
With the increased security, race organizers hope to preserve the traditional character of the event.
Also Saturday, an estimated 3,000 people gathered at the finish line for a Sports Illustrated shoot for a cover marking the anniversary of the bombings.