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“Who knows where I would have been when it went off,” Matherne said Tuesday afternoon. It has become an annual tradition for women to line up along the route next to Wellesley and offer kisses and cheers for the participants.
Matherne was one of 14 runners from the city to run in the marathon. He was one of four who did not finish; the other 10 did.
He knew something was wrong after passing the 25-mile marker and seeing people walking toward him with space blankets. About a half-mile later he stopped as representatives of the Boston Athletic Association were mad an announcement, and he began to see the damage done by the explosions.
The impact of the explosions didn’t sink in for Matherne until after he returned to where he was staying and began watching the news on television. “I get chills thinking about it,” he said, describing what he saw as a war zone.
The explosions will not change his passion for marathons, saying they will serve as motivation for him to keep competing. Monday was his 15th marathon; he has also participated in Ironman contests and other endurance events. It was Matherne's first time running in the Boston Marathon.
“No one is going to take my running away from me,” he said, adding that he expects others to feel the same way.
Matherne added that part of his motivation to compete in marathons is to raise money and vowed to run more to do more good. He raised more than $2,000 for the Connecticut Challenge, which benefits cancer survivors, in Monday’s marathon.
He also thanked all of the people who supported him and checked on his well being after the race.
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