Assembling In front of a store selling running shoes today at about 6:00 PM were well more than a hundred runners preparing to run in memory of the people killed in Boston on Monday and support of those injured.

Apparently, this scene was duplicated around the world as evidenced by the many photographs of such events in tomorrow's newspapers.

But in not one of those photographs I have seen of people hugging, holding flowers and preparing to run was anyone wearing red, white and blue. Not a single American flag was visible.

It's strange and sad that patriotism was so absent, because the attacks on the runners and rooters in Boston occurred not because they were at a race, but because they were Americans.