Marathon Runner Disturbed But Not Deterred By Boston Tragedy

Runner Mosi Smith, who returned home safe from the Boston Marathon on Monday, already is back to work at Fleet Feet Sports in downtown Annapolis, less than 24 hours after the explosions.  

, said he and his teammates in the U.S. Naval Academy Marathon Team had completed their runs by the time he heard about the explosion. They were all celebrating several blocks away when the attack occurred.

While on the phone with a fellow runner, Smith said his friend heard the explosion and hung up. Smith then went outside and saw the chaos in the streets.

"My main concern definitely was just ensuring the midshipmen were all accounted for and OK—and they were. We all got back around 3 a.m.," Smith said.

Three people were killed, including an 8-year-old boy, and dozens were injured in two explosions that occurred at the finish line.

Smith said he didn't know anyone personally impacted by the blast, but he did know friends of friends who had been injured.

Smith runs marathons throughout the year, but the Boston Marathon is, in his words, the crown jewel for America. The race's glory is shared not only by Americans, but by runners from all over the world.

"You look at the finish line, and what do you see on the flanks? You see flags of different nations out there. There are athletes there from multiple countries," Smith said. "Anybody could have been a target."

Despite the tragedy, Smith already is planning his next big race.

"Honestly, this doesn't change anything for me personally about running," he said. "It's kind of put a somber mood on it, of course, to have that question of security in the back of your head, but it definitely won't stop me from getting out there."

However, Smith said this incident will likely make him more vigilant of his surroundings when he's at large venues like this. 

"If anything, the same hypersensitivities I had on deployment might apply," he said. "Instead of focusing on myself or other runners, I'll definitely pay more attention to the immediate environment."