Year later, Redmond runner reflects on Boston bombing

“It’s hard to describe that feeling of running next to thousands and thousands of people,” said Jen Myers.

Myers crossed the finish line at her first Boston Marathon on April 15th, 2013, feeling accomplished.

Only a few minutes later, chaos.

“You look at the people around you, because you think you know what it sounds like, but you don’t want to believe that’s what it is,” Myers recalled Monday.

A deadly blast ripped through a crowd of people.

Scary, she says, doesn’t even begin to describe it.

“You’re just in your own little segment, trying to figure out what was happening. And we didn’t know until Matt’s mom called us and said, ‘It’s on the news, there were bombs, you have to get out of there!'” Myers said.

Now looking back, even after a year, Myers still remembers very vivid details about that day.

“I try not to think about it too much, because it is still hard to think about,” she said.

She keeps a shadow box of memories from the race — the good and the bad.

“It has my bid number, my race jersey and some of the articles,” Myers explained.

Myers can’t make it to the marathon this year because of a scheduling conflict, but she has already qualified for next year’s race.

She’s ready to get back to Boston.

“I read a really great quote after all this was done, and it was talking about how terrorism is like a venom, and it can seep into your system,” Myers said. “And I think the only way we can fight that is to just show that we are not afraid and to keep going back and show people that it’s a positive, wonderful experience.”

Myers’ friend, Matt Cox, was a first responder for the marathon.

When the bombs went off, he ran back to the finish line to help, and now he gets to run in the race this year.

Cox will be dedicating his run and all of the training that has lead up to it to Martin Richard, the 8-year-old who died during the bombings.

For more info, visit http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/matt-cox/friends