Three Airdrie residents are safe after a bombing that killed three people and injured about 150 others during the 2013 Boston Marathon April 15.
“The whole experience is pretty surreal,” said Adriana Wild, the assistant vice principal at Our Lady Queen of Peace School in Airdrie on April 16.
“It’s a world-class running event and everyone trains so hard, so to have something like that happen is unbelievable.”
Wild was running in her second Boston Marathon and her husband was at the event to cheer her on.
Two bombs were detonated near the finish line of the marathon and it is unknown at this time who is responsible for the attack.
The first bomb went off four hours into the 41-kilometre race. The second one detonated approximately 10 seconds after the first, 50 metres away.
Nearly 27,000 participants took part in the race.
After finishing the race, Wild and her husband boarded a bus that took them back to their hotel 10 minutes before the first bomb went off. While on board, they heard sirens and were informed via social media that a bomb had gone off near the finish line.
Shortly after, the city went into lockdown.
“It was such a wonderful experience that we can’t understand why it happened,” she said.
“It was such a great day and the fact that it ended in such a disaster, everyone is still reeling from it and in shock.”
Wild said the security surrounding the event was the same as years past with volunteers and law enforcement officials lining the route and K-9 dogs patrolling.
Tamara Day of Airdrie and Tanya Green, a teacher at École Airdrie Middle School, also ran in the race, but crossed the finish line before the bombs detonations.
Cathy Ziegler, principal at École Airdrie Middle School, said she was in contact with Green prior to the race and was able to contact her again shortly after the news of the bombings emerged to ensure she was safe.
“We were delighted to hear that she had finished the race successfully and then we were shocked and horrified at the story that followed,” Ziegler said.
Day posted that she was fine on her Facebook page shortly after the race.
“I finished 30 minutes before the explosions. I had just found (my family) at the family meeting place when we heard explosions. We didn’t know what it was and started back to the finish line when people told us to leave the area,” she wrote.
“It was an absolute perfect day, now overshadowed by insane tragedy. My heart goes out to all the runners, families and spectators.”
Day added that the Boston airport and several hotels near the race route were on lockdown.
Eight-year-old Martin Richard was identified as one of the deceased while 29-year-old Krystle Campbell was the second. Lu Lingzi, a grad student at Boston University, was the third victim.
Officials in the U.S. and Canada offered condolences, including members of Airdrie City council, who mentioned the incident during the council meeting on April 15.
“I would like to pass on my condolences for the people who were involved in the stupid bombing in Boston today,” said Alderman Murray Buchanan.
“The fact that an eight-year-old (the first confirmed death) lost their life is so tragic and needless. It is horrible that people can’t feel safe when they are doing something like running a marathon,” he said.
“As I understand, three people from Airdrie who are at the marathon are OK and we couldn’t be happier about that,” added Deputy Mayor Ron Chapman.
The investigation into the attacks has now been turned over to the FBI.
