Marblehead Marathon Report — Runners and Families Report Being Safe

In a normal year, the day after the Boston Marathon you'd see Marblehead Patch reporting on how various local runners did. Who was fastest? Who was the youngest Header to finish this year? The oldest?

Instead, one question prevailed: Are the runners and their families okay?

By checking social media, especially the indispensable Facebook page All Marblehead, we're able to report the safety of many runners and spectators from Marblehead.

The highest-profile local runner in yesterday's race was of course Marblehead native Shalane Flanagan. She finished an impressive fourth. She later sent a message that she was okay.

Other runners and their families we've heard are safe via All Marblehead include Lori Sherf, Jennie Sheridan, Amanda Velutto and Brian Donovan. A group of teachers from the Glover-Eveleth are also fine, according to a commenter on All Marblehead.

On Tuesday morning, runner Steven Keenholtz emailed Marblehead Patch with this report:

It is hard to express what I felt. I had a tough run going through mile 16 on my race plan but it all fell apart through the the hills. The 8:30s became 11s. I went through the finish 12 minutes before the explosions. My sub-4 hours marathon was a 4:08 finish. I was heading toward the bag bus when the two explosions went off. The plume of smoke and the debris in the sky made you know this was for real. For several seconds everyone stopped. I was on Boylston between Berkeley and Arlington. There was no shock wave with the explosions. There was no panic and no knowledge on the part of volunteers of what had happened. People went about their business. I went to the changing tent and then quickly left the area. As the facts have become clear I am glad to be safe. Roberta who came to town to pick me up is also safe thank g-d. My prayers are with the families who are my family. When I reflect that it could just as well have been me crossing the line or my family on the finish line celebrating my accomplishment. Collectively we are all diminished by these events. The marathon will never be the same. How will life change as a result of the monster or monsters who perpetrated this cowardly despicable act? The heroes of the day quickly have become the first responders and care givers, not the athletes. It is a sad day for the world as we knew it.

Here are the results, courtesy of the Boston Athletic Association web site, from the 22 Headers who were scheduled to run yesterday. Thirteen finished the race before the event was cancelled because of safety concerns.