2 Local Runners Escape Boston Marathon Blasts

Amy Gleason and Allison Zimmerman had just crossed the finished line.

Then minutes later, two bombs went off, and the two Forks Township women and their families were running for safety.

"It feels like the marathon was 10 years ago now," Gleason said during a phone interview from her Boston hotel room.

Gleason, running in her third Boston marathon, had finished the race about 20 minutes earlier and was waiting for her friend Allison to complete, which she did seven minutes before the bombs struck, killing at least three and injuring more than 130 people.

"The whole thing is pretty surreal right now," said Zimmerman, who believes she was about 50 yards away from the explosions. "We all paused. Our husbands lifted up the barricades and we shimmied underneath on our bellies."

Gleason added, "That very quickly ruined the marathon for me. I want to leave as soon as possible. This brings back a lot of feelings of fear."

Those fears stem from Gleason's experience as a nurse in New York City on 9/11. Her husband Mike was a New York City police officer.

Mike Gleason said he was about 100 feet away from the explosion Monday.

"The girls had just crossed the finish line," he said. "We went down to meet them with our kids and gave them some water. Then, about 100 yards to my left, I heard the first explosion. There was a big plume of smoke. The second one came 20-30 seconds after."

"I'm thinking, 'two explosions. This isn't a coincidence. This is a terrorist attack,'" he said.

On 9/11, Gleason was mobilized from his unit at 42nd and Broadway to the World Trade Center.

"They hit a populated area and created fear and panic," said Gleason, who retired as an officer in 2010. "If you can't go to a marathon that's been going straight for 117 years because you're fearful, then they have succeeded."

Here are stories of other Lehigh Valley runners:

J. Jackson Eaton III, a partner with the Allentown law firm Gross McGinley LLP, is safe after finishing the marathon two minutes before the explosion, according to a Tweet received from the law firm.

"Quite frightening, but we are all safe," Eaton wrote in a message to his colleagues.

Congregation Keneseth Israel Rabbi Seth Phillips 60, of South Whitehall, sent a text that the explosion happened a few minutes after he had finished the marathon. Phillips was not injured, according to an e-mail sent by a synagogue member.

Lafayette College freshman Andrew Halloran tweeted that he was OK late Monday afternoon. 

Lehigh Valley Roadrunners Member Neal Novak emailed Patch that he had word from numerous sources that all club members who ran in the marathon were safe. 

Southern Lehigh School Board Secretary Diana Millman got a scare when she walked past a television in the school district administration building and saw the news coverage. Her 22-year-old daughter—now a student in Boston—lives on Copley Square right next to the finish line.

Millman tried to reach her daughter by telephone, but had no luck. She then turned to social media and found photos taken at the finish line by her daughter and posted on Instagram. Millman’s daughter, who left the finish line about 15 minutes before the blasts, is safe.

Christopher Garges of Coopersburg posted on Facebook that he wasn't hurt. Garges finished the race in less than three hours; the explosions came after the four-hour mark.

On Nazareth Patch's Facebook page, one of three Nazareth runners who competed, is OK. 

Kelley Ann Neal Joseph and Holly Bachman reported that Jim Rehrig was also OK. Rehrig had not yet finished the marathon when the first blast was reported at 2:42 p.m., according to www.baa.org. Rehrig was about a half mile from the finish line when the first bomb detonated, Joseph said.

Amby Burfooton the 45th anniversary of his 1968 Boston Marathon win wearing bib #1968.

Burfoot, an editor at large at Rodale's Runner's World told Runnersworld.com that he was about three-quarters of a mile from the finish line when the explosions occurred:

"We were about to go under the Mass Ave. underpass when suddenly there was congestion in front of us," Burfoot said in an email.

"Soon it became clear it was runners congesting."

"Everyone's cell phones starting going off. I got a call from [my wife] Cristina that the finish line was cleared and the race was over."

Burfoot walked back to his hotel, the story said.