UPDATE: Chatsworth Runner Reportedly Safe After Boston Marathon Blasts

UPDATED April 16, 1:30 p.m.

Chatsworth resident Phil Kent is a member of Southland running club L.A. Leggers. Fellow member Rosalie Fox shared her account on the group's website:

Today was an exceptionally lucky day for us, as evidenced by this story from mentor Jennifer Hartman, who was running with fellow mentors Renee Opell and Phil Kent: "Thank you everyone for thoughts and prayers. The story is Renee, Phil and I were on the homestretch. We had passed mile 26 and were probably at 26.1 when the first explosion occurred. We saw it all. We turned around and were going to go back when the explosion behind us occurred. At that point we stood in the middle for a moment holding hands and wondering if any more explosions were going to happen. After a minute we decided to go down a side street. Coincidentally we had stopped at mile 25 so Sharon Kent could take a picture of us. If she hadn't we would have probably been right on the finish line. I spoke to Lorraine 10 minutes ago and she had just just crossed the finished line. We knew she was ahead of us and were happy that she had made it okay. We assume all other Leggers are okay as they were either in front of us or behind us. Needless to say we are a little shell shocked. Our hearts go out to those that weren't as lucky."

UPDATED April 15, 5:45 p.m.

A Chatsworth runner competing in the Boston Marathon reportedly was safe after a pair of explosions killed two people and injured more than 100 others Monday.

Philip Kent of Chatsworth was listed as an entrant on the marathon's official website. He was shown to have made it to the 40-kilometer mark (about 24.8 miles into the 26.2-mile race) at 3 hours, 54 minutes. No finishing time was shown.

The lack of a finishing time could be explained by a report in The Kansas City Star, which said Kent was running with Jennifer Hartman of Los Angeles and another friend about a block from the finish line when they heard the first explosion:

[Hartman] and her two friends were positioning themselves side by side for their triumphant finish when the first explosion occurred. In the middle was Phil Kent, 55, who is battling pancreatic cancer and undergoing chemotherapy, with Renee Opell, 50, on his left, and Hartman on his right.

“We were in the homestretch, ready to hold our hands up and get our picture taken together,” Hartman said.

Then they saw the debris of the explosion and heard the boom. Their immediate thought was a terrorist bomb, she said.

“We stopped in our tracks and held hands,” Hartman said.

They had turned around and were moving away from the blast when they faced the second explosion.

Patch's calls to Kent's residence in Chatsworth were not answered.

Details about the sources of the explosions have yet to be confirmed. However, CNN reported that the area was being investigated as a crime scene and the Associated Press reported that two non-detonated improvised explosive devices were found along the race route.

The Boston Police Department announced during a press conference that a third explosion took place at the JFK Library, several miles from the finish line.

More than 20,000 runners officially entered this year's race.

Families looking for relatives or possible victims at the Boston Marathon can call 617-635-4500. For tips or information any of the three explosions in Boston, call 1-800-494-TIPS

Anyone with any information on the status of the runners is welcomed to leave comments below, or contact us at northridge@patch.com.