Bedford Runner Caught Between Boston Blasts

The finish line was in sight.

Bedford resident Michelle Collier, celebrating her 48th birthday while running in her first Boston Marathon, was moving quickly down Boylston Street, her legs throbbing, when the first blast happened right in front of her.

"First, I heard a loud noise, and at that point in the run things moved really fast and really slow, all at the same time, and I thought, at first, it was fireworks and then I realized this was way too loud," she said. "Then I saw the smoke and realized it was a bomb, and then I heard a second one, and after instinctively hitting the ground, I decided to just get up and run to the finish, all the while thinking I have all my friends and family out there waiting for me and I could have just put them in harms way. It was pretty freaky."

Among those waiting for Collier near the finish line were young nieces and nephews who saw the bombs explode but who, fortunately, weren't hit by the explosions or shrapnel.

When the bombs detonated, Collier said she was in the middle to right side of the track. Had she been a few seconds earlier or later, and a little more to the left side if the track, she very well may have been caught by the concussive force of one of the blasts, if not from the nails and ball bearings reportedly contained within the explosive devices.

"The weird thing is I intended to run in on left-hand side. I had a training run with a guy who was handing out medals on that side, and for some reason I was in the middle and moved to the right," said Collier.

"I was kind of numb and kind of wondering 'where do i go, and 'where do they want me to go,'" she continued. "I saw a lot of responders and police trying to get people away from where the first bomb went off and saw people carrying very injured people away from scene, so I just kept walking away, down the runners corral, and was trying to text and get in touch with some of the people who were there waiting for me. That's when chaos broke out."

People began panicking, many confused and some yelling out that there was a shooter nearby, she said.

Collier instinctively sought cover in front of a large truck and then another before ducking into City Sports.

"Once we were inside, (police) wouldn't let us out of the store. It didn't seem like a long time, but it was hours before we were allowed out," she said. "We had no cell phone service and it was really tough because we were getting half text messages and I was still trying to find out where the rest of my friends and family were. I also recognize that, based on my time, people would have known I was right there and were likely wondering if I was OK."

Once Collier and company were let out of the store, their options for transportation, she noted, were limited.

What she did find was an outpouring of support from Back Bay residents, who were handing out water and blankets and trying their best to keep people warm and hydrated.

Collier was not allowed back to her car, but managed to find an out-of-service cab willing to take her out of the city, the images and sounds of the experience firmly ingrained in her memory.

Though Collier didn't see many of the runners and spectators who were maimed the worst, she said she witnessed many injuries and saw a lot of trails of blood.

What stands out in her mind, however, isn't necessarily the carnage, but the quick thinking and leadership exhibited by Boston Marathon organizers and nearby first responders.

"They just tried to help each other out and keep the situation as calm as possible and keep people moving in right direction," she said. "It was a bad scene and bad situation, and so many innocent people got hurt, yet so many people did really good things out there as well."

Monday's marathon was Collier's second. Years earlier she had also completed the Maine Marathon. When asked if she'd compete in another Boston Marathon after this year's experience, she noted the only thing holding her back would be the fact she likely didn't garner a qualifying time for next year's run. She was able to compete in 2013 as a sponsored charity runner for the Franklin Park Coalition.

Collier completed her run at 2:50:38. She crossed the finish line at 4:10:39 (gun time), less than a minute after the first explosion (4:09:43).

"Right now I'm tired," she said, "but I'm all in one piece, and so are my friends and family, and my prayers go out to all the people out there recovering from and dealing with much, much worse."

Follow Bedford Patch on our Facebook page, Twitter feed, and be the first to know when news breaks by signing up for our FREE daily newsletter and breaking news alerts.