Two explosions rocked the Boston Marathon on Monday, killing at least two.
The two explosions occurred at roughly 3 p.m. (EST), about 30 seconds apart, within 100 yards of the 26.2 mile race's finish line.
At least two were killed in the explosions, with dozens more wounded. According to the Boston Globe, tens of spectators lost limbs.
Five Turlockers – including Julie Lascano – were in Boston to compete in Monday's race, and saw the tragedy first hand.
“I was there,” Lascano said, speaking with TurlockCityNews.com via phone from her hotel room. “I heard the explosions.”
The explosions occurred roughly 10 to 15 minutes after Lascano crossed the finish line, completing her first Boston Marathon in 3:49.
Lascano was still near the area at the time of the explosion, having just retrieved her bags. She was headed toward the area where runners meet with their families, about a block away from the finish line.
“I heard it, and I looked immediately up to the sky,” Lascano said. “It sounded like thunder, but the sky was blue.”
Then the sound came again. Lascano turned to the runner next to her and said, “That was weird.”
Lascano began looking for smoke, but could see none beyond the tall buildings that separated her from the explosions. In her area, the crowd was still calm at this point, as tired runners walked back to their families.
Loscano began to suspect that something was seriously awry when she saw a police officer talking on his walkie-talkie.
“His face was a little scary looking,” Lascano said. “He had these big eyes.”
Then they heard an ambulance, and knew for sure something had gone wrong. At first, people thought that a gas line had blown, or a transformer had exploded, Lascano said.
But then, as Lascano reunited with her mother and friend who had come to watch, she began to see people crying.
She called her husband, and asked him if he was watching TV. It was then she first heard that there had been explosions, and that many were injured.
Lascano, her mother, and friend all walked back to the hotel quickly, wanting to get out of the area. Once there, they turned on the TV to watch the news and saw exactly what had happened, and where the explosions had occurred.
One explosion site, just yards from the finish line, was exactly where Lascano's mother and friend had been standing just 20 minutes earlier.
“I think if I was any slower, they would still be standing there,” Lascano said.
When Lascano looks back on her first Boston Marathon, she said she will remember some amazing mental images of the race. She said she smiled the whole time, high-fiving children whenever the opportunity presented itself.
But the memories will always be marred by bombings that Lascano described as “senseless, stupid, frustrating, and sad.”
“I think when I look back I'm going to be sad that this all happened,” Lascano said. “Right now I can't even put two and two together.”
Five Turlockers ran in the 2013 Boston Marathon: Trenton Avilla, Lascano, Nhu Stessman, Lisa Stewart, and Julianne Taylor. Various reports from friends and family via Facebook indicate that all five are safe, but TurlockCityNews.com has been unable to independently verify these accounts.
It remains unclear as to who caused the explosions, or why. In a statement made Monday afternoon, President Barack Obama said those responsible would be found.
“We still do not know who did this or why and people shouldn't jump to conclusions before we have all of the facts,” President Barack Obama said. “But make no mistake, we will get to the bottom of this and we will find out who did this, we will find out why they did this. Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups will feel the full weight of justice.”
