Marblehead Runners in Their Own Words — Reactions to the Boston Bombings

After a day that usually leaves Boston Marathon runners exhausted but joyful, Marblehead participants are putting their thoughts down about Monday's tragic end to the race. Three people died and more than 170 were injured by two bombs placed at the finish line.

Steve Kingsbury

"My wife, Marilyn Wexler and I were at the finish line to greet and congratulate our older son, Adam Kingsbury. Fortunately for us, he ran a strong race, and we left the finish line area before the explosions. We are still in a fog today, just going through the motions, terribly saddened by those impacted, thinking about what might have been, and trying to understand this senseless tragedy." — Via email to Marblehead Patch

Jennie Sheridan

I am shaken, but I am not deterred.  The reason I run is too important, too necessary.  This team has done so much good and we provide hope.  The reason why we run has not changed, nor has the end result of $4.6 million dollars for necessary cancer research.  That can not be taken away or altered.  We can not let yesterday's events detract from what we've accomplished, and what we still have to do.  Our collective spirit is much, much bigger than that. — Via Sheridan's blog, "Be Good, Be Strong."

Steven Keenholtz

"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." — Via email to Marblehead Patch

Shalane Flanagan

The Marblehead native, who has become one of the nation's elite runners and finished an impressive fourth on Monday, wrote on Twitter just over an hour after the bombings: "My family and I are safe. Thank you for your concerns. Devastating."