According to the Boston Globe, Martin Richard, from Dorchester, Massachusetts, may very nearly have cheated death after walking out to embrace his father Bill Richard as he went to cross the finishing line.

But when Mr Richard walked on, the youngster turned back to rejoin his mother and two of his siblings just as the first bomb exploded.

His six-year-old sister lost a leg in the blast and his mother Denise is in hospital after undergoing brain surgery. Martin’s older brother, believed to be in the fifth grade, escaped injury.

According to 7News, a candle was lit outside the family home and the word ‘Peace’ written on the pavement.

Mr Richard is understood to be a popular community leader in the Boston suburb. Martin was a keen baseball player and was a member of Savin Hill Little League team. On Twitter, Maeve O Brien called him ‘the sweetest little boy I’ve ever met.’