Cape Red Cross Worker Runs Marathon, Returns to Boston to Volunteer

Many on Cape Cod and the Islands know Centerville resident Hilary Greene, the executive director of the Cape and Islands Chapter of the Red Cross.  Greene, 53, was at Mile 24 running her third Boston Marathon on Monday, when she received a text from her spouse Angela Cenzalli about the two explosions at the finish line.

“I knew that Angela was OK, since she had texted me,” said Greene, who carried her phone while running. “Many runners did not have a phone and were worried about their family and friends. It was chaotic. The runners were upset. We were a lot safer than our families, who were at the finish line.”

Greene was running as part of the Red Cross team, a team of nearly 40 people.

“It was a scary time. There were Red Cross fans in the stands,” said Greene.

Greene, who was on vacation this week, was driving to Red Cross headquarters in Cambridge on Thursday morning at 6:30am to work as a volunteer.

“I am trained as a disaster volunteer,” said Greene, who had signed up after Monday’s tragedy that killed three and injured scores of others to work as a volunteer. “I got the call yesterday.”

“I love doing it,” said the Red Cross executive director about volunteering during her off-duty time. “You can’t understand how amazing our volunteers are until you see them at work.”

After Greene was diverted from her run, she met up with her spouse and Red Cross co-workers at the Westin Hotel in Boston.

“The staff looked shell-shocked. There were rumors that there were bombs under the stands [at the Finish Line] for the fans and that is where many of them were,” said Greene.

Greene and Cenzalli were unable to get their car that was parked at the Prudential,  and took commuter rail to Braintree where friends met them.

On Tuesday Greene returned to Boston to pick up her medal at the Castle on Arlington Street for finishing the race.

The organizers had set up a tiny finish line inside the Castle. Greene stepped over it and was handed her medal.

“I had brought my number for identification and wore my blue runner’s jacket, but I did not need any identification,” she said. “It was very moving.”