Boston Marathoner Says Everyone Felt the Tragedy

The Boston Marathon was like two separate days for Leslie Handyside.

"There was the race, which ended very happily for me. Then there was the tragedy and the explosions," she said.      

Handyside, 38, of Northville, said it was her first Boston Marathon. She was one of nine people from Northville were registered to run in the marathon, according to the Boston Athletic Association website. 

"It went from the best race day of my life to this tragic, surreal emergency," she said.

Everything that happened has still been on her mind, she said, and she appreciates the love everyone has shown Boston because this is something that happened to the country.

"It’s like 9/11. You didn't have to have been in New York to have experienced it," she said.

She finished the race at 2:08 p.m., just minutes apart from , and wasn't near the finish line at the time of the explosions because the marathon organizers kept the crowd moving.

"It was such a blessing in disguise that we couldn’t stop and congregate," she said.

Handyside said she sent a final message to her husband, letting him know where she was, before her phone died. She had eight relatives join her for the race: her husband, Matthew Handyside; 7-year-old son Callen; 5-year-old son Oscar; mother, Polly Allen; parents-in-law, Tom and Linda Handyside; husband's grandmother, Carol Falle; and cousin Eric Thompson from Halifax, Novia Scotia.

"When we heard the first explosion, we said, 'Is that thunder?' But you know it's not, because it’s sunny," she said.

They were euphoric, she said, having just finished the Boston Marathon and didn't think it was anything sinister. It wasn't until the second explosion and seeing the people running that Handyside thought something was wrong. Even then, she said, she thought it was an accident. 

"Then on the television in the restaurant, we saw the local news coverage, which was maybe 10 minutes after the loud noises, and we found out they were explosions," she said.

She and her family were reunited 15 minutes later, and her husband updated his Facebook status, tagging her and Knutsen to let people know they were safe. It was a strange end to the race, she said.

"The congratulations were just shadowed," she said. "The running of the race was inconsequential after the tragedy."

After the marathon, Handyside said she's now more committed to volunteering at the marathons she doesn't run to cheer and support those who are. This Boston Marathon was supposed to be her last, but she said she might return.

"Maybe for some closure," she said.