Winchester Man Hears Blasts, Sees Smoke at Boston Marathon

Monday was not just another day at the office for Winchester resident Kevin Boyle, who was working in the city near the Boston Marathon race course when a pair of explosions were set off.

"I work in the Prudential Tower about 200 yards from the bombs," Boyle recalled. "I was watching the race out of my office window with a couple of colleagues when we heard the (two) blasts. A few seconds later we saw smoke and knew it had to be bombs."

Boyle then turned on the television and checked the web for information. Officials have confirmed three people died and more than 100 injured during the blasts.

"I posted on (Facebook) what had happened and told runners to abandon the race," he said. "I have run (eight) marathons, including Boston, so I had a pretty good idea of what it was like on the course and had been tracking friends' progress on line."

Boyle, a member of Woburn-based Shamrock Running Club, was tracking fellow Shamrock and Winchester runner Dave Sullivan's progress during the race. Mary McKenna, Sullivan's wife, recalled the events around the time of the explosion.

"We just returned from Boston when family and friends started frantically calling to see if we were OK and home. We did not know at that point what had happened," McKenna said, adding that Sullivan had just completed his 10th Boston Marathon. "My brother was giving us the details when the cell phone went dead! Facebook was the only communication possible. Shock and disbelief set in.

"We had left the area 15-20 minutes before it all happened. We are in shock. Why? Runners run in peace."

Meanwhile, building security told Boyle and his co-workers to remain in the building until nearly 6 p.m. before he drove home.