Roseville Runner: Boston Marathon Bombings "Surreal"

When Eric Kronback finished running the Boston Marathon Monday afternoon and 90 minutes later heard two loud booms, the Roseville man thought someone had shot off a ceremonial cannon, as part of the race festivities. 

But in his hotel room at the Hyatt Regency where he was icing down his legs from the 26-mile race, Kronback and his wife Celine started getting text messages from family and friends asking them if they were alright.

It was then that Kronback learned the loud booms he heard had been two bombs exploding.

"It was kind of surreal," said Kronback, 38, a veteran long-distance runner but a first-time participant at the Boston Marathon.

Kronback said he was greatly relieved his wife had not been in the crowd of spectators when the bombs exploded.  "The biggest thing is the safety of the spectators," said Kronback, a physical education teacher at St. Anthony Village High School.

Aside from avoiding any injuries, Kronback said he felt fortunate to complete the race, noting the exploding bombs prevented about 5,000 of the 27,000 runners from finishing.  And, all things considered, Kronback said he ran a respectable race, finishing in three hours and 30 seconds, good enough to qualify for the 2014 Boston Marathon. 

Despite Monday's tragedy, Kronback said he's likely to come back to Boston next year and race again. "It's the top marathon in the world,"  he said. 

(Meanwhile, click on to this post to read about the experiences of other Twin Cities-area runners with the Boston Marathon bombings.)