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Trevor Nelson, 24, who works at Fleet Feet Sports, a running store at 168 Bedford St., said he was working in a doctor’s office when he heard about the bombing. He hurriedly called to check on friends who lived in Boston and was relieved to discover they were fine.
Nelson, who is training to run a half marathon, said he found it difficult to talk about the bombing in the following months.
“The bombing was kind of a taboo subject for me but fortunately I am getting over it now,” he said. “I know a lot of friends who were right there and felt the earth shake.”
He believes increased security will make the race safe and said he thought it was a one-time act by the Tsarnaev brothers and not something that will happen again.
At 2:49 p.m. April 15, 2013, two pressure cooker bombs exploded about 12 seconds apart killing three people and injuring more than 250 others. The bombs were placed 210 yards apart and were near the finish line on Boylston Street in Boston.
Three days later, the FBI named brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev as suspects. Shortly after, the FBI released images of the brothers after they killed an MIT officer, carjacked an SUV and were involved in a gun battle with police.
Tamerlan died at the scene, and Dzhokhar fled but was arrested the next day when a Watertown resident discovered him hiding in a boat in the resident’s backyard.
Dillin Smith, 20, an employee at The Athlete’s Source at 1097 High Ridge Road, said the bombing comes up in discussions with customers, many of whom are serious runners.
“It would end up being a topic of discussion,” he said. “The conversation would usually last until the transaction was done and then they would leave.”
He was in a music class at Norwalk Community College when he heard about the bombing. He said the class was cut short as the instructor let the students out after the news hit.
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