Johnston Man at Boston Marathon Says He's 'Fine; It Was Chaos'

A Johnston couple in Boston for the Boston Marathon is fine and safely back at their hotel after at least two explosions rocked the finish line this afternoon.

Daniel Blondowski and his wife are in Boston for the marathon, he ran the race and she watched.

He told Johnston Patch via Facebook: "We are fine. We were a couple of blocks away standing on the street. We heard a couple of explosions a couple of seconds apart...sounded like a thunderstorm but the sky was clear."

He added, "It was chaos. Lots of confused/tired runners. People are unable to get their belongings now from the buses. Many hotels are on the lockdown."

Blondowski works for Dice Holdings in Urbandale.

The couple have made it back to the Westin Hotel where they are staying about two miles from the marathon route.

While this was Daniel's seventh marathon, it was his first Boston Marathon.

According to the marathon's website, 158 Iowans were registered to take part in the race.

Three Cedar Falls brothers who were running in the Boston Marathon are safe, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports. The Courier said Lisa Sevcik heard from her son Joseph Sevick that he and his brothers Daniel and David Sevick are safe. The three were running with the Iowa State University running club.

A pair of explosions rocked the finish line at the Boston Marathon on Monday afternoon, injuring at least a half-dozen people, a CNN producer at the scene said. The blasts occurred a few seconds apart, shrouding downtown Boston's Copley Square in smoke. The explosions occurred about 2:45 p.m., about an hour after the first runners had crossed the finish line, CNN said.

According to BackBay.Patch.com, CBS-Boston is reporting federal officials have surveillance images of a man dropping backbacks into trashcans.

Boston Police have worked to update the public through their Twitter account. Officers are asking anyone with video of the finish line to send it to the department.

What do you think of such a tragedy at an event that celebrates health and strength? Share your thoughts in a blog on Johnston Patch.