Plymouth Resident, Boston Marathoner Hopes to Hang On to Happy Memories Despite Explosions

Plymouth resident Melissa Knutsen has run several marathons, but this year was her first time competing in the prestigious Boston Marathon.  

Knutsen and her friend Leslie Handyside of Northville both qualified for the marathon in Detroit in 2011 and said the planning leading up to the event was exciting and fun.

The stay-at-home mom of three crossed the finish line around 2:10 p.m., placing 12,945 overall out of more than 23,000 runners. Less than an hour later, two explosions devastated the area, causing three deaths and more than 140 injuries. 

"Leslie and I went into a restaurant to warm up and we heard a loud boom," Knutsen said. "We were trying to figure out if it was thunder and what could it possibly be. Slowly but surely, we started to see people go running by. Minutes later, the TV in the restaurant reported that it had been an explosion."

Trying to find her family -- her husband, three young boys ages 8, 5 and 3 and her parents -- was scary, Knutsen said. 

"It was absolute craziness," she said. "With the phones, we couldn't seem to text or call anyone. I couldn't find my parents. Thankfully, I found out they were in a cab. For those people who couldn't get through and find their people I can't imagine what it must have been like. It was crazy enough for us."

Knutsen said the whole thing was a shock, and that she kept hoping that it had been something less sinister that caused the explosions, like a generator or gas line. 

"We went back to our hotel, and everyone was just lingering in the lobby," Knutsen said. "We had a ton of runners stay at our hotel and everyone was just shell-shocked, crying and watching the news, trying to make sense of it all. This is supposed to be this euphoric, happy moment, where you're celebrating and instead it was just sad and shocking."

Plymouth community reaches out

While Knutsen was dealing with the aftermath of the explosions, back home in Michigan, friends and family started reaching out to make sure she and her family were all okay. 

"It was amazing -- everyone from my young son's preschool teachers to a text from the principal, my other boys go to Bird Elementary and I got a text from her right away asking if we were all okay," she said. "It meant a lot how many people from our community -- our friends, our neighbors , my husband's co-workers reached out. It was really nice." 

Knutsen and her husband ended up staying an additional night in their Boston hotel, while her parents took her children home with them to New Hampshire. 

"We went to lunch and walking around the city today (Tuesday), it was like a military zone," she said. "National Guard, cops, armed people were everywhere. Streets were closed all over the place. It was kind of confusing trying to get anywhere."

As of Tuesday evening, Knutsen was reunited with her family in New Hampshire. 

Despite her horrifying experience, Knutsen said the race itself was absolutely amazing.

"There were spectators every inch of the way, little kids were handing out orange wedges and flavor ice," she said. "I crossed the finish line feeling really great about humanity and what an awesome city Boston is. I'm trying to focus on that right now. I hate to leave a historic event feeling sad and bitter. I'm praying for those families and I can't stop thinking about them. But I hope to keep some of the happy memories with me as well."