2013 - "Residents came out of their houses with food and water, offering any kind of aid they could."

Tim Zuelke

I am not sure I can put into words what we are feeling and what yesterday, April 15th, 2013, was like, but I will try.

I was at the front of the group of runners police stopped within half a mile of the finish line soon after the bombs went off.

Officials held us there for about 40 minutes. We did not know what was happening and many of the runners started to suffer from the effects of stopping without water or medical aid, myself included.

Finally the officers realized that 2,000 people standing in such a small area was also a possible target. We were told to disperse, which was not easy to do. Where were we to go, anyway? A nurse who was running the marathon was standing next to me. I was so cold and shaking. She said my lips were turning blue and I should find some first aid as soon as possible. I tried to make my way back to our hotel, but the streets were all blocked off as a crime scene.

2013 - "No, We Won't Be Shaken..."

Tanya Collum

I was able to finish the race. I quickly moved through the finish line, because I do not like crowds. I grabbed my medal and some food and then started making my way to the buses to get my checked bag.

As soon as I got my bag I called my husband Adam. He had been tracking me and knew I'd finished. I then called my Mom who was waiting on me in the hotel room.

I answered a few text messages from friends and began to make my way to my hotel. I stopped and asked a volunteer which way to my hotel, because I have a horrible sense of direction. I was going in the correct direction, though. A few minutes passed and then I heard a very loud noise from behind me. I thought to myself, "That doesn't sound good." I kept moving and then heard another loud noise. I knew at that point it had to be a bomb, a horrible sound I hope I never hear again.

2013 - "Like no other marathon I’ve run. I understand why people who love it, love it."

Greg Halen

This race is going to be remembered for a long time, and for all the wrong reasons. I've gone back and forth in my head about whether or not to post this Race Report. Most of y'all know my background (or at least a lot of it). Over the years I've gotten pretty good at compartmentalizing things (a useful skill if you are called upon to be an interim aircraft accident investigation board member when there are civilian casualties--like a four year old boy who happens to have the same name as your four year old son). This ability is a blessing and a curse. And now, a VERY long Race Report...

Boston Race Report: A quick disclaimer. I had finished the 117th Boston Marathon an hour and twenty-four minutes before the bombs detonated. In fact, I had already left downtown Boston and as far as I can tell figure out was on the subway or maybe even the rental car when the bombs went off. Prior to the attack, it had been an amazing trip. This report will dwell on things leading up to the race and the race itself.

2013 - “God protected us that day. He sent out his army of angels all over the city of Boston.”

Sandy Lynch

I had finished the race and returned to the finish line to wait for my friend Tim and others to finish. I was standing alongside the race workers who were putting medals around the runners’ necks as they crossed the line. It was such a joyous occasion to see the look of accomplishment on the faces of the runners as they crossed the finish line, some holding their hands high above their heads praising God, some with tears in their eyes, all of them feeling victorious.

Then, the first bomb went off. The sound and feeling of tremor from the explosion was unlike anything I've heard or felt before. No one understood what was happening at first, but the initial confusion was soon replaced with sheer panic. Some runners continued to run toward the finish line, not understanding what was happening.

Just a few seconds later, a second explosion occurred. Crowds of people started running and screaming. The race workers dropped the medals and tables were overturned as the mass of people franticly tried to disperse. It was an eerie feeling, one I'll never forget.

2010 - "It was the Boston. How could I not finish?"

Mary Elaine Shirah

My Boston Marathon story is simple. All I had to do was run 26.2 miles. Oh, and be fast!

I grew up in the Alabama Children's Home in Troy. According to statistics and the high school guidance counselor, I was not exactly "going places." But as a teen, I was introduced to running by a houseparent, Mr. Grey. And that made all the difference. I have a type-A personality, and I used running as a way of escaping imperfections that plagued my life. In college, I ran for my sorority in Greek Week, and ran the track when I couldn't sleep. Which was a lot.

After college graduation, I married a football coach and had two children. I was teaching and coaching myself and before I knew it, no more 5k racing for me. I retired my shoes and dreams so that their dreams could live.

In 2000, we moved to the Shoals area. Eventually I began to run again. Running for stress, heartache, habit, and any other reason. I quickly re-entered the running circle, and was approached by some local runners training for a marathon. They asked me to join their group. I ran my first marathon in Memphis, Tennessee. That was about nine years ago. I was instantly addicted to endurance running.

1997 - “I love Boston, Boston loves me”

John (Big Foot) Aikin

My first Boston was in 1997. I had tried hard to qualify so I could run the 100th anniversary Boston Marathon in 1996. I did three marathons in December 1995, trying to qualify, and missed by several minutes each time.

The final attempt was the "Last Chance Marathon" in Tampa, a one-time marathon set up as one last opportunity to qualify for the 100th. It was a three mile loop in a park that you had to run nine times. I got dizzy and didn’t make the cut.

I was able to qualify the next year at the Blue Angel Marathon in Pensacola. I didn’t realize I had run a qualifying time; someone had to tell me the day after the race. I have run Boston every year since, except in 2009, but more on that later…

1974 - Running on Great Shrimp Scampi in Tretorn Tennis Shoes

Paul Riefberg

One day I was searching through my race results, to look over my marathon finishes. I ran sixteen marathons in the '70s. I was somewhat surprised to find I only had printed results for seven of them. Through the years and moving several times, I no longer had results for the other nine. One of those missing was Boston 1974, and it proved to be one of the most elusive to locate.

I first contacted a number of parties from the Boston Athletic Association, one of whom was Whitney Wilbur. She was able to find a results page listing my finish for both the 1975 and 1977 Boston Marathons, but she said they could not find any 1974 results.

I then checked the old Long Distance Logs publication and I found several of my missing marathons there. However, for Boston 1974, the last finisher listed in the Log was 305th place, and I finished in 347th place, thus it was missing from the printed results.