April 15 2013 will forever go down in history as one of the most tragic days Boston has known. Bolyston Street was the scene of horror just a year ago, where two pressure cooker bombs exploded towards the finish line at the Boston marathon. The city of Boston, however, has rallied around each other and come back stronger than ever.

This year saw the 188th Boston Marathon, and participants raised an unbelievable record $38.4 million for charity. The announcement was made by the Boston Athletic Association, as it represented almost double the sum total of 2013.

Tom Grilk, executive director of BAA said, “The 2014 Boston Marathon will go down in history as a special day for the sport, for the City of Boston and for unprecedented fundraising, all benefiting local charities.”

One of the charities involved was The One Fund, set up to provide financial assistance to the families of the 2013 bombing victims as well as those who were injured in the blasts.

Craig Bromley, president of John Hancock who was one of the sponsors this year, said, “The world bore witness to the resilience of the Boston community and the true spirit of the Marathon this year…The Boston Marathon will forever be defined by compassion, courage, competition and extraordinary generosity.”

The men’s race was won by an American for the first time since 1983. Meg Keflezighi, a three-time olympian won the race in a time of 2:08:37. In the women’s race, Rita Jeptoo from Kenya won with a record-breaking time of 2:18:57, setting the bar higher for future races.

This year’s marathon also saw the second highest ever participation with approximately 36,000 registered runners. There was an incredible demand to take part in this year’s race after last year’s tragedy, contributing to the record-breaking generosity. The previous high was at the 100th anniversary race back in 1996.

Registration for the 2015 Boston Marathon opens on Monday, September 8.