Lemont Runner Reported Safe After Boston Marathon Bombing

A Lemont resident and her running group were not among the injured when explosive devices were set off near the Boston Marathon finish line Monday, according to friends.

The local Yankee Runners group included owner Mel Diab from Palos Heights, James Bruce, Amy Bugala, Christine Kickels from Lemont, Ric Nielsen from Orland Park, David Mauger, Joe Werner from Tinley Park, Jeanne Dolan of Chicago, Geof Brown, Mark Reilly from Homer Township and Steve Rice from Oak Lawn, said Spero Speropoulos, who also is a member of the running group.

Family and friends also traveled out to the Boston Marathon with the Yankee Runners, but they also were not injured in the explosions, Speropoulos said.

One of Kickels' friends, Linda Stoops, reported on the Lemont Patch Facebook page that Kickels finished just minutes before the explosion occurred. She and her sister, Amy, are both safe, Stoops said.

Authorities in Boston have confirmed three fatalities as a result of the explosions, including an 8-year-old boy, and hundreds of injuries.

Read more Patch coverage here.

Bloodied competitors and volunteers were seen leaving the scene and a medical tent near the finish was being used to treat the injured, the New York Times reported.

Nearly 40,000 people compete in the Boston Marathon annually with runners coming from all over the world.

Check Patch later for more on this developing story. 

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