(Indy)35 will finish their Boston Marathon moments before Indy 500

Just before the start of the 2013 Indianapolis 500, the Yard of Bricks at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will replace the Boston Marathon finish line for 35 runners whose races were cut short because of the April 15 bombings. / Matt Kryger / The Star 2012 file photo

They couldn’t reach the finish line of the Boston Marathon, turned away when two explosions killed and maimed spectators.

But now 35 Boston runners from Indiana and surrounding states will get to “finish” on Sunday what they started on April 15 at a different site — the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

IMS officials extended the invitation for runners to the Boston Athletic Association, which contacted non-finishers in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Illinois earlier this week.

They will get to do this half-mile ceremonial run from Turn 4 to the Yard of Bricks between 11:55 a.m. and noon, minutes before the scheduled start of the Indianapolis 500, and then stay for the race.

“It will definitely be the most reflective half-mile I’ve ever done,” said Richael Bolka, 24, Indianapolis, who had been less than a half-mile from the second bombing site.

During the Speedway run, Bolka said, she’ll be thinking about the Boston bombings and that you can’t take life for granted and should be thankful for every day.

“It will be exciting, too,” said Bolka, who said she and her boyfriend will then get to enjoy their first Indianapolis 500.

Melissa McGrath, 40, Fishers, said the experience will be doubly special for her because she and her family are big race fans. She’s gone to 19 of the last 20 races and already had tickets for Sunday’s race.

“It’s not going to be like finishing Boston, but to be able to have this celebratory finish at a place that I love with all the spectators will be just as special, if not more so,” she said.

McGrath said she trained for months “picturing that finish” in her head. She described her Boston experience as an ordeal and that she struggled to explain such terror to her three children. But this opportunity, she added, is another example of people doing good.

She will experience the track run with her neighbor, Rich Coutu, 39, Fishers. They ran some of the Boston race together, as charity runners for the Melanoma Foundation of New England. McGrath was diagnosed with melanoma two years ago.

“This is just a wonderful thing,” said Coutu, also a race fan and a Boston native. “It doesn’t get any more special than the 500. This will bring some closure.”

While he was disappointed he didn’t get to finish Boston, Coutu felt fortunate his children and friends were safe and didn’t witness the bombings.

Family members of Michelle Knutson, Indianapolis, weren’t as lucky.

Her husband, Mike, and sister, Ilene Padro, who lives in Ohio, were at the Boston finish line between the two bombing sites, so they saw some of the injuries.

“It was not good for them,” she said, who was stopped three-tenths of a mile before the finish line. “More than anything, this (track run) will be great for my family.”

Knutson is looking forward to running on the track and attending her first 500, with her husband, three of their children and sister. As a family, they always listen to the race.

“I just thought it was very thoughtful of the Speedway to even think about people like me who didn’t get to finish,” she said.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is doing this to provide a positive experience for some Midwest runners affected by the events in Boston.

“The tragedy last month in Boston still resonates with everyone, so we wanted to give runners the chance to finish the race in front of thousands of fans who will appreciate their persistence and determination,” said Doug Boles, IMS chief operating officer.

“Everyone will remember the victims,” he said, “while also celebrating the strength and indomitable spirit of these special competitors as they cross the hallowed Yard of Bricks.”