'I Can't Fear For My Life' Marathon Runner Says

Tammy Stapleton ran the Boston Marathon and was stopped just after her 24th mile.

She could tell that something was happening once she got into the city, she said. Police officers seemed to be in a panic. One officer told her that runners would be stopped at mile 23 and she thought, "Who stops the Boston Marathon?"

The officer then told her about the explosions, and she continued to run. She tried to get in touch with her family because she knew they were en route to the finish line.

Her husband quickly said he was trying to find a parking spot and hung up.

Once she got to mile 23, she expected to see crowds. This wasn't her first marathon, so she knew that there were normally crowds cheering at that point, but there was no one around, she said.

Still, she kept running. Volunteers said that runners had to get out of the road, so she, along with the other runners, continued their races on the sidewalk.

Just after mile 24, the road was barricaded and runners were not allowed to continue.

"Everyone was in shock," she said.

Cell phone service was horrible and texting was slow, she said. A college student told her that there were people out there missing limbs and body parts.

"I broke down in tears," she said.

She runs with Team Hoyt and met up with them at that point.

"We just stood there for a while, we didn’t know what to do," she told Patch. "All of us runners were standing there lost."

They attempted to contact their families, but were unable to. The runners were told a bus was coming for them, so they waited. A medical tent nearby gave them blankets to keep warm.

After a few minutes of waiting for the bus, they decided to walk back to their hotel. A stranger pulled over and offered them a ride, but they decided to continue walking.

"The kindness that strangers show in a time of crisis is unbelievable," she said.

When asked if she is going to run next year, Stapleton said, "I'm definitely going to run next year; this makes me want to run more. I cant fear for my life. No one, especially evil like that, is going to scare me away."

One of her teammates told her that they gathered as a team Monday, but they left as a family. Stapleton agreed and said that the tragic events have brought them closer together.

"It's so sad that this great event will never be the same," she said.