Runners from U City Area Describe Chaos in Boston

As the dust cleared Monday night after the shocking explosions at the Boston Marathon, the New York Times reports that three people have died and over 100 more are injured.

Quoting from the Times story,

Almost three-quarters of the 23,000 runners who participated in the race had already crossed the finish line when a bomb that had apparently been placed in a garbage can exploded around 2:50 p.m. in a haze of smoke amid a crowd of spectators on Boylston Street, just off Copley Square in the heart of the city. Thirteen seconds later, another bomb exploded several hundred feet away.

Reports point to runners from the University City area avoiding injury during the race. 

The Boston Athletic Association website lists the following University City entrants:

• Ryan Gasser
• Daniel Muntges
• Jeffrey Zacks

Zacks commented on U City Patch's original story, telling fellow residents "This is Jeff Zacks. I'm fine, as is Doug Chalker. Thanks for your concern everyone. I'm afraid I don't know the status of Ryan or Daniel, but there were a very large number of people there so the odds are they're OK."

Check the Boston Marathon’s website for where runners last checked in.

Dr. Jacqueline Payton, an assistant professor of medicine at Washington University, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch she was about was one block away from finish line when the blasts occurred.

“I just knew it had to be some sort of bomb, some sort of terrorist attack,” she told the Post.

Fox 2 News reports that other runners texted family members in University City to let them know that they were fine following the blast.

See additional coverage of the 2013 Boston Marathon:

• University City Reacts to Boston; Share Your Thoughts
• Boston Marathon Explosion: University City Runners Were There
• Fox 2: St. Louisan In Boston Marathon Describes What He Saw
• RFT: Boston Marathon Bombing: St. Louis Runner Recalls Explosion, Cry of "What Kind of World Do We Live In!"
• BackBay Patch: Boston Marathon 2013 Explosion

Do you have friends or family who participated in Monday's marathon? Tell us in the comments.