Community Corner

'I Thought It Was Thunder' Local Runner Says of Boston Marathon Blasts

Lafayette freshman Andrew Halloran recalls the scene after the deadly explosions at the Boston marathon.

Andrew Halloran finished the Boston Marathon Monday in a little over three hours.

His sister Sarah hadn't yet finished her race, so he waited a block from the finish line with some other families.

And then came the explosions.

Find out what's happening in North Whitehallwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“At first I thought it was thunder," said Halloran, a 19-year-old freshman studying civil engineering at Lafayette College.

What came next was a blur of people on phones as Halloran scrambled to do what countless others were doing at that moment: find their loved ones in the wake of dual explosions that killed three people and injured up to 125 near the marathon's finish line.

Find out what's happening in North Whitehallwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

One of the victims killed has been idenitifed as an eight year old boy. The boy, Martin Richard of Dorchester, was reportedly at the race to watch his father, Bill, run the marathon. His mother and sister were also reportedly injured in the explosions.

The FBI is handling the investigation, and has set up a national tip line for any information related to the explosions. Anyone with information can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), and select prompt #3.

"No piece of information or detail is too small," wrote the FBI in a news release.

Halloran, originally from Iowa, was one of 11 Easton area runners competing in the marathon Monday.

Seth Phillips, a South Whitehall resident, had finished the race minutes earlier and was uninjured.

After the blasts, things quickly became confusing, he said.

"People started walking by with worried looks on their face," Halloran said. "It was like everybody was really nervous or anxious. Everybody was on their phones."

He headed for an information center, and was told runners who hadn't finished the race were being redirected. Later, he learned the marathon had just been stopped. Sarah, his sister, was fine, having been a mile away from the finish line at the time of the explosions.

On Monday night, Halloran and other runners talked about future marathons. He said he'd definitely run one again, and maybe even in Boston.

"This deters me a little," he acknowledged.

At first, he thought a 2014 Boston Marathon would be sparsely attended. Now, he's thinking its numbers will swell "as a memorial."


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from North Whitehall