MONTREAL – Montrealer Catherine Megais’s world was rocked as two bombs exploded at the finish line of one of the world’s most prestigious marathons Monday.
Megais, an avid runner with a passion for marathons, had finished her 8th Boston Marathon about 25 minutes earlier and was changing from her sweat-drenched running gear.
“Actually, I was in a porta-potty when the bombs went off and I could feel the porta-potty shaking,” Megais recounted several hours later.
Watch video of one of the explosions caught on camera, courtesy of the Boston Globe:
When she opened the door and stepped outside, the 40-something Westmount resident witnessed chaos in motion.
“It was madness … It really felt like we were in the middle of a terrorist attack,” she said.
“You could see the anguish in people’s faces, almost like when they were watching the Twin Towers come down.”
“People were running left, right and centre, screaming, telling everyone to get away. Sirens were going.”
The explosions occurred “one long block away” from Megais.
The blasts, which were seconds apart, killed two and injured more than 100 people, according to reports from Boston.
The iconic American classic draws runners from around the world and the event — an easy drive from Montreal — is a top attraction for Montreal athletes.
According to the website of the Boston Athletic Association, which manages the marathon, 371 Quebecers were registered for the run, including 77 Montrealers.
Gallery: Boston Marathon explosion aftermath
As news of the horrific events in Boston reached Montreal, runners along with the friends and families of those in Boston, reached for their phones or plugged into social media networks to learn more.
Running coach Dorys Langlois, of Club Sportif MAA in downtown Montreal, knew of 36 people in his training group who were in Boston.
He checked posted finishing times for the marathon, figuring if runners had finished well before the blasts, they would be out of area and safe. Then he waited for incoming telephone calls, emails and text messages confirming everyone was safe and accounted for.
It took several long hours before he could rest easy.
“This is really awful,” Paul Gantous, president of the Boreal Running Club, said shortly after the explosions.
He knew there were a couple of club members in Boston, but hadn’t yet heard from them or of them.
The two Boreal runners “should have finished well before the time of the explosion,” Aldo Bellon, a member of the club’s executive, said in a later email to The Gazette.
Megais said that her first instinct was to try to help out, but there appeared to be “a military like” response by Boston police and by volunteers.
“The runners were freaking out” and fleeing the area while “the volunteers were kind of taking control of the situation,” Megais said.
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