Local Boston Marathon Runners Describe 'Mad Rush' in Bombing Aftermath

Geof Brown knew that the last thing someone who just finished a marathon would do is start running again.

It was clear, then, when he saw scores of people sprinting down the street in post-race warming blankets that something had gone horribly wrong.

Brown is one of four people from La Grange Park who ran the Boston Marathon Monday. Three people from La Grange, as well as three from Western Springs also were registered to run.

Most of the local runners were accounted by about 6 p.m. Monday after multiple explosions ripped through the area around the marathon’s finish line. At least three people are dead and 134 injured in the bombing, the Boston Globe reports.

Matt Villacana, of Western Springs, was napping in his hotel room when he said, via email, that the explosions woke him.

“I immediately knew something was wrong, so I started checking every news outlet to try and find out if my assumptions were correct,” he said. “Unfortunately they were.”

The Dick Pond Fast Track Racing Team, Villacana’s group, launched a joint effort to get a hold of each teammate, as well as family members who were there to support them. By 5:30 p.m., they knew each person was safe, he said.

Brown was relaxing at a restaurant about two blocks from the finish line with fellow members of local group Yankee Runners when he saw the herd of marathoners pass.

“We didn’t know what was going on,” he said, “but we knew something was going on.”

Sirens began blaring as police put the restaurant on lockdown, said Brown, who qualified for the marathon this year after three or four previous attempts. A short while later the restaurant closed, and Brown and his companions headed to their hotel.

The Yankee Runners texted each other in a "mad rush" amid the confusion to make sure all 21 teammates were OK, Brown sad. And it appears, he said, that all are fine, though some had to walk as much as five miles to get back to their hotels.

“It was just a really bad ending to a wonderful day,” Brown said. “… We were very grateful we could account for the folks we know.”

Villacano said that as of 5:30 p.m., the area surrounding his hotel is still on lockdown.

“Many police and firefighters are going around looking for more devices,” he said. “I’m just thankful my teammates and I were not in the area at the time of the blast.”

Know someone who ran the race? Let me know how they're doing by emailing lauren.williamson@patch.com.

Earlier:

• 3 Western Springs Runners Registered for Boston Marathon

Patch coverage from Boston:

• Scores Injured by Explosion at Boston Marathon Finish Line 
• Newtown Runners Reportedly 'Safe' Following Boston Tragedy
• Boston Will Be Back (I Hope)

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