Los Gatos Runner Christine Kennedy Recounts Boston Marathon Explosion

The Boston Marathon explosions Monday afternoon came nearly two hours after Los Gatos marathoner Christine Kennedy, 58, had crossed the finish line, she said in a phone interview from Logan Airport, recalling the frightening experience.

She was among the fastest of finalists, finishing in under three hours, the lucky ones who were far away from the blasts that killed at least three people and injured more than 140, according to police reports.

It was Kennedy's fastest Boston Marathon time, her fifth attempt at placing first in her age division. She came in second place.

"All I can say is thank God I'm fast enough to finish in that time so that they were out of harm's way," she said, referring to daughter Michelle Kennedy and friend Brodi Kemp, who had moved away from the finish line to go find her near the start line.

However, even those who finished under four hours were affected, she said, as their families and friends were in the area waiting at the finish line. She explained it normally takes runners who have finished the race about 45 minutes to pick up their clothing, get dressed and return to the starting line to meet their loved ones.

Kennedy said she began the 26.2-mile race at 10 a.m., and crossed the finish line at 12:55 p.m.The blasts went off at about 2:50 p.m.

Kennedy told her daughter and friend to meet her at the Westin Hotel, across the street from the finish line. Her daughter told her she had passed by the area of the blasts just an hour earlier.

After they found each other, Kennedy said they returned to the finish line to find a police officer and inquire what had happened. A maid at the hotel said to them, "I'm so glad you guys are OK," she said.

"We had a lot of family and friends out on the course and it was really horrific there, knowing that we didn't have contact numbers for our friends," she said. "We had nothing and they didn't carry their cell phones."

Now, Kennedy, who normally races without a cell phone, said it's important to carry one with contacts of those traveling with you at such events.

"I was on the phone contacting the coach saying, 'This person just called me.' "

She said one of her friends, Kate Gates of San Jose, was stopped at the 40-kilometer mark, almost near the finish line, and along with other runners was directed to a different route. Soon, they couldn't go any further.

Gates was never picked up, and she had no idea where she was, Kennedy said.

It took Gates several hours to return to her hotel, which was on lockdown, and she eventually called her husband, borrowing someones phone.

After the incident she was relieved to learn that Gates was OK, she said. "She walked into the hotel at 7:30 p.m. totally freezing cold, had no clothes, just what she was wearing."

Kennedy said it's important for runners to have phone numbers so they can contact their running friends in the future should an accident or mishap take place. "When you're out there, we're all a big family," Kennedy said.

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