at 10:10 AM by Mallory Schnell

Boston Strong

Earlier this week, while a blizzard was slamming the northeast, some strength of community was restored to the city of Boston. Photographs were released around social media Tuesday, showing a man shoveling off the iconic finish line for the Boston Marathon. Police reached out to the public using the hashtag #WhoShoveledTheFinishLine to find the mystery man.

The man has been identified as Chris Laudani, a bartender at a local restaurant, Back Bay Social. Laudani, an avid runner, finished the Boston Marathon in 2011 and stated that the finish line is his favorite place in the entire city. After clearing the area around the bar, he shoveled the Boston Marathon line because he believed such an iconic symbol of the community should not be covered with snow (ABC News).

The Boston Athletic Association had something to say on the righteous deed:

“For someone to brave the winter blizzard to clear our finish line for us is yet another statement as to what our event means not only to runners but also to Americans,” Executive Director Tom Grilk said in a statement. “We, at the Boston Athletic Association are the organizers and are responsible for the management of the Boston Marathon, but an act like we see depicted here proves that — in Boston — everyone owns the Marathon.”