Windham Runner: 'The Boston Marathon will be Back'

Working for a news organization, Windham runner Tracy Carracedo might have been one of the first runners at the 25.75-mile mark of the Boston Marathon to learn that two explosions had just taken place less than a mile ahead.

Carracedo, 42, who was participating in his eighth and final Boston Marathon, is the Director of Client Development at WCVB-TV in Boston. He runs with his iPhone 5, where he receives email alerts from every outlet.

"You're about to make your big ceremonial finish," said Carracedo. "Slowly but surely you started to see people pausing."

The fact that Carracedo was anywhere near the 25.75-mile marker at the time of Monday's Boston Marathon bombings was amazing in itself. The experienced athlete was one hour ahead of his usual pace, which is unheard of for marathon running.

Carracedo described a scene that felt very much like a lockdown, although he said runners quickly knew the gravity of the situation. Even so, little direction was given, and a lot of speculation was taking place in the crowd.

After battling the emotional roller-coaster of first realizing that he wasn't going to finish the race to later learning that people had been killed, Carracedo had to find his bag and find his family.

Two children, ages 7 and 4, his wife and his sister, a Connecticut resident, were all near the finish line. The bag had Carracedo's car keys.

Runners eventually broke off and a few hundred worked their way down Marlborough Street.

"There were buses that had our personal belongings," said Carracedo, explaining that each bus was categorized by the runner bibs. Somehow, Boston Marathon volunteers were still helping out amidst the chaos.

"Credit to the race organizers for keeping as much of the race infrastructure in place as possible," he said.

Carracedo made his way up Clarendon St. toward the Westin Copley Place Hotel, which was right in the throng of the confusion.

"I saw a lot of police," said Carracedo. "The police were doing a good job telling people what to do."

Tempers did flare at times near the barricades as patrons wanted to get through to the blocked off area.

"I did not get a bird's-eye view of Ground Zero," said Carracedo.

It took over two hours after the first explosion, but Carracedo did find his family, managing to get through on his cell phone despite word that cell signal had been shut off.

It took another half hour to see them once he arrived at the hotel, though, as they were inside and the police were using the building as a press conference area.

His first conversation with his family, which took place at 5:20 p.m., was when he learned that his sister was only about 100 feet from the first explosion.

As of this morning, Carracedo's sister is still stuck in Boston, having parked in the Prudential Center garage, where every vehicle is still being searched.

Carracedo, meanwhile, parked his family in one of their best-kept secrets – the Dartmouth Street garage, directly across from the Back Bay train station. He said they got out easy, noting the "cruel dichotomy" of their escape from the city compared to his sister, who stayed overnight in Boston.

This morning, Carracedo was on his way back to work. He expects WCVB-TV operations to all be focused on the aftermath, which shows 3 dead and over 140 injured, some fighting for their lives and others facing major amputations.

He said that emotions don't quite set in immediately after an event of yesterday's stature, but that he later told his wife that they are "forever linked to history."

As for his eighth Boston marathon and ninth 26.2-mile run overall, Carracedo knows it will always have an asterisk. He also knows that although he planned it to be, it likely can't be his last.

"Based on yesterday, my immediate thought process is that I can't go out like this," he said. "I have to go out in the traditional way, which is crossing the finish line."

As for the Boston Marathon, Carracedo said that it's "unfortunate" that the race he has always admired because of its history will forever be branded in a negative way. But as for yesterday's explosions spelling the end for the marathon's stature – Carracedo doesn't think so.

"I know one day the Boston Marathon will be back," he said.