Despite the swirling currents of confusion and uncertainty left in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing, EC geography professor Matt Ebiner, who competed in the marathon, returned safely to Los Angeles Sunday with his wife and daughter.
Ebiner was kind enough to share his marathon experience and his perspective on the bombing with the Union.
“It’s so sad that such a positive day, which is such an uplifting day for so many people and for many participants a once-in-a-life time experience, is ruined and tainted by this event that turned a beautiful day into a horrific day,” he said.
For Ebiner, race day had started out with an air of excitement and since the Marathon was the biggest annual event that takes place in Boston, it had drawn out a huge gathering of spectators, he said.
“Those last two miles (of the race course) especially, it’s absolutely packed on both sides of the street,” Ebiner said. “It’s just such a positive kind of energy; it’s really very inspirational for runners during a time when runners are usually pretty dead. It’s great to have that kind of support.”
Ebiner finished the 26-mile marathon with a time of 2:32.53, finishing in 98th place overall and winning first place in the men’s-50–years-old-and-up age group, then left the area soon after, he said.
Two hours later, two homemade explosive devices detonated near the Marathon’s finish line.
While having dinner with his wife and daughter at a restaurant approximately three miles from the blast area, text and Facebook messages containing congratulations from friends began to shift to inquiries and expressions of relief about his safety, Ebiner said.
Ebiner said it was shortly after that when he began seeing ambulances and police helicopters rushing in the direction of the race.
“Still, we hadn’t really seen any images about anything and so when you don’t see the images it doesn’t seem quite as serious but later on we did see videos of it,” Ebiner said. “It actually seemed so horrendous and horrific that it’s understandable why people would think we were some of the unlucky ones.”
Ebiner and his family swiftly made their way to the airport in hopes of avoiding security measures complicating their return trip, he said.
He said that despite a several hour delay, they were able to board a flight back to Los Angeles that evening.
Ebiner considers running an integral part of his life and although the bombing has cast a shadow over his Marathon experience, he said he wasn’t going to let the tragedy darken it completely.
“I still kind of keep it separate in my mind,” he said. “On the one hand I’m still very pleased with how I did and it’s one of the best marathons I’ve ever run and in that way I won’t let the events erase that feeling of accomplishment, but on the other hand it’s so very sad for so many people.”
Ebiner said he doesn’t think the bombing will put an end to the Boston Marathon but that it had left its mark.
“The Boston Marathon will go on next year but it won’t ever be quite the same with this kind of memory,” he said.
Last Updated April 17, 2013
