Explosions at Boston Marathon....

Patty W - Yes it was a violent act. There were two explosions and now they're saying they've found at least 2 more explosive devices at other locations around the city.

One of my co-workers ran the Boston marathon today. Luckily, we got word that he was ok. Scary stuff.

Not an act of war but certainly an act of terrorism even if we don't know who is responsible.
Guns weren't involved this time, but that doesn't make it any better.

If you know a runner, you can track them at the BAA site here: http://raceday.baa.org/ Enter as much info as you know on the "athlete tracking" section & it will tell you when / where they last checked in. Not definitive, but helpful.

My niece was right near one of the explosions & is fine so although many (at least 23) are injured (& 2 possible fatalities at this point), many near by are REALLY really OK. Fortunately, being the type of event it is, many law enforcement & medical people are right there, able to help.

One of the better local news stations is tracking it at wcvb.com.

Prayers for all.

I live about 10 minutes outside of Boston and I can tell you that this has forever changed this amazing, world renowned sporting event. I ran the Boston Marathon 10 years ago and finished around the time these bombs went off (4 hours and some change). This one has hit too close to home for me and I am numb. It has changed my city forever. The fact that it happened right in front of Marathon Sports, "the" running store of our city and an epic location for finishers, since it's basically in front of the finish on Boylston St, makes it pretty certain that whoever did this meant harm and wanted to make a statement.

I have one friend running this year and thankfully, she is fine. She is now trying to get home, and was getting her medal when it happened.

No words.

Yet another event to show that our lives can be forever changed in a moment....

Show and tell your family and friends you love them often...

My heart aches..I have a lump in my throat thinking about those who lost their lives today and those loved ones left behind. I am so sad for those that are in the O.R. right now with limbs blown off after this heinous act.

as per your mandatory ?-I know of people who have run this race. I am a runner..I have no desire to run the Boston Marathon.

News just reported 3 dead so far but they anticipate more. No word on the source of the explosion. So sad, and tragic!! Praying for the victims

Are we certain this is a violent act? Could it be a gas line issue?

This is my home town. I feel like someone punched me in the gut. I spent so many vacations in that area of the city growing up, after we moved to PA, the familiarity of the neighborhood and hearing the news reports are shocking. So far, no reports from our family there.

What a sad day here. I haven't run (and with a 13-minute mile pace never will) but have many friends and colleagues running every year. My youngest son's friends' dad ran this year and my son was excited for him and knew that his friend was there with his family, cheering him on. He was worried about his friend for a while (as was I) but luckily everyone I know who was there today is fine.

I'm so sad that the actions of one person or a small group of people have forever marred what is traditionally a wonderful, uplifting event. We wait all miserable winter for this, hoping that the runners are blessed with a day like today that's not too cold but not too hot, dry but not too sunny. The amateur runners raise staggering amounts of money for their charities in exchange for the privilege of running. They spend months training and fund raising, which is hard to do here given that the training is mostly in the winter. You know the marathoners when you see them out running in the cold and dark, before sunrise, dodging snowbanks and ice patches. Marathon training is a family commitment - my friends who run miss family dinners, basketball practices, family events etc. because they have to get their training hours in so there's a spouse at home picking up the slack and doing it willingly because it's a team effort for the family. And then someone comes along and does this.

I'm weary of giving my kids the Mr. Rogers "look for the helpers" speech. I'm glad someone wrote a script for this. I'm glad someone provided words for when I am left speechless. I'm glad that my little guys still take comfort in those words. But I'm tired of saying them. Of explaining to my 3-year-old why the planes crashed into buildings, or to my 9 year old why people got shot seeing Batman, or to my 6 year old that even though someone walked into a school and killed 20 kids just like him he has to have faith that school is safe. Today my younger boys saw the pictures and knew where it was - that's where we stand for the New Year's Eve parade, that's where we stood when the Red Sox won the World Series. Today this was in our backyard. Today some mother is going to bed without her 8 year old son, and others are waking up without arms and legs. And for what? It just makes no sense.

I have a dear friend running in it.
What a hell of a way to find out.
More than "urgh" worthy news.

ETA: KN --thank you for that link!!!
My friend had finished. Whew! Praise God!

I hope this isn't some insane modern protest against Tax Day. I'm thinking of the correlation with April 15th...Boston....historically, Boston Tea Party....please let this not be a domestic terrorism incident!

ETA: ABC News is saying that "it is clear that this was a bombing." Horrifying!

ETA2: There has been a 3rd explosion, at JFK Library.

Wow. Hadn't heard anything about it. I saw your question, went straight to facebook to check on my son's former soccer coach (Patrick, from Biggest Loser a few years back). He runs every year...posted 20 minutes ago that its a little crazy, he stopped at mile 23, and is safe. Yay for social media to know all is well easily and quickly. Gonna check news now....what a crappy situation. Sorry to hear there were deaths/injuries.

Just was confirmed - this was a bomb attack

I have a friend who runs marathons, and has run that one in the past. I asked DH to call him. Another friend lives in Boston, so I sent her a message to please let us know she's ok.

ETA: Have not heard from the friend that lives there, but our runner friend checked in. Says he'll call when he can but texted to say he's OK. He's on the faster side, so he likely ran the marathon before the explosions, which happened 5 hours into the event.

Friend whose cousin is in Boston said that people are being asked not to use cell phones for fear of setting off more explosions. So that tells me they are suspecting IEDs or something.

For some reason this reminds me of the Bombing in Atlanta during the Olympics. That was a domestic terrorist.. he was against abortions..

Some people are saying it could be a domestic bombing because today is tax day and someone could be sending a message..

But we have to be aware this is a marathon that brings people to the US to run.. The next big race is in London.. They are going to be on high alert..

I have a gut feeling it is some crazy person and not an Al Quaida type of attack. It is also Tax Day. Could be someone was ticked off at the IRS
Right now two dead and 20 injured. Could have been so much worse. Thank goodness it is not. Wondering about security measures up there.
Was everyone put through. Sad world we live in. Once when I was I. Granby Colorado, a man had a beef with the town zoni g board. So he encased a bulldozer with steel plates and went out on the streets shooting an aK 47 or something like that. Thank God no one was killed ,but it goes to show you the world we live in. Prayers.

I have a relative who works with emergency management there every year. It's been a hell of a day for him.

Hello.

I have qualified and run the Boston Marathon 3 times and plan on running it again. I say that since the race for a marathoner (completed 14 across this country) is amazing to be in and the atmosphere is something I've never experienced elsewhere. Lots of comraderie and just people having a good time racing and watching.
What happened was horrendous and it freaks me out. If the race started at 10A like I think then I would have finished maybe 20 mins before the bombs went off due to my pace- clock stopped at 4:09. For those a bit slower and those great people watching or volunteering it was something I wish they never experienced. They should never have. Boston is also one race that's incredibly organized. Those people did everything they could and will do more in the years to come.
I agree I live with a positive outlook, but to me running is apart of my identity. Like you'd be, I'll be more cautious at races and esp'ly the big ones.

I just logged on to ask if anyone had heard any more details about the explosion. So far I've heard of 3 deaths and multiple injuries including several with lost limbs. What a horrible tragedy. This sounds terrible but I'm hoping it was something like a gas line explosion. The hubs and I were just talking about 9/11 and how it has changed the landscape of American life and how different it was when we were kids. I mean, Hussein and McVeigh stuff happened when we were kids but it wasn't such something we were really aware of- not like it is today. Does that make sense? Sad.
Our family will pray for everyone who has loved ones there. Hope everyone is okay.

I feel (emphatic) for people running the race and finishing and then this
It is so surreal for me. It is dishearting and makes you wonder about peoples mental wrong.

I hadn't heard. Sad.

My coworker has a friend that was near the finish line when the explosions occurred. They are waiting for her to check-in with them via phone, text, etc.

Feels like an act of war...