Boston blasts: Our brush with disaster

Stopping for lunch with her family during the Boston Marathon might have saved runner JoAnn Lee from death or serious injury in a deadly bomb attack.

And in another twist of fate, her husband Dr Ben Lau and their three young children were en route to the finish line to cheer her in — but getting lost meant they were on a train to the Copley Square venue when the two bombs went off and rail services ground to a halt.

Minutes after touching back down in Bermuda yesterday, Ms Lee told us: “If I had been five or ten minutes faster, I would have been in the middle of it. I stopped for lunch with my family — that’s what’s probably saved me.”

Ms Lee’s account is just one of a handful of stories brought to you by the Sun today about islanders who took part in the race.

Panic

Ms Lee was part of a group of runners pulled over by police and race marshals only 0.7 miles from the finishing line.

And she told of scenes of panic as bewildered athletes and spectators realized that there had been a terror attack on the sixth biggest marathon in the world.

Ms Lee, 40, travelled to Boston with Ben and children Megan, 12, Genevieve, 9, and Joseph, 3, from their Pembroke home for Monday’s race and stopped to spend time with them at a family area along the route.

She continued her run while Mr Lau and the children went to catch a train to be at the finish line when she crossed.

Ms Lee said: “They were really lucky not to be there when the bombs went off.”

She said that chaos broke out after runners were stopped almost within site of the finishing line.

Ms Lee added that she knew something was wrong because of the smell in the air.

She said: “I could smell the bombs — the explosion. Then I immediately saw two big helicopters overhead.

Ms Lee added: “We didn’t know if there were more bombs — we just wanted to run away. 

“It was chaotic and half the people didn’t know and they were still running the other way. It was really tense.”

She said: “A lot of people were crying. I was in tears. People were in shock. 

“A lot of people had families at the finishing line and they were using my phone to call them because it was still working. I was very fortunate I had that advantage.”

Ms Lee added: “I’m glad to be home. Put it this way, in Bermuda not everybody is carrying a gun. The police were securing all the hotels which could have been at risk.

“I got locked in at the Copley Plaza Hotel after I went in there to warm up.”

Paget GP Dr Lau said: “I’m relieved to be back. I was going back to the finish line when the train stopped — a lot of people were anxious about their loved ones. At first I was scared about Joann’s safety...then we walked six blocks to the hotel because everything was locked down.”

But Ms Lee managed to get through on her cell phone to reassure her worried family that she was all right.

Dr Lau said: “The children were a bit frightened about their mother and we could see the panic in people’s eyes on the train. 

“They didn’t know how many people had died.”

Ms Lee added that she was spared the scenes of carnage in Copley Square, where onlookers reported pools of blood and severed limbs close to the heart of the bomb blasts.

She said: “You don’t want to see that stuff — you don’t want to be so traumatized.”

But she vowed the bombings would not put her off travelling overseas to run in future marathons.

Ms Lee said: “The marathon is an experience which tests the human spirit and courage. Being scared out of doing another marathon means being scared by terrorists. I would not want to stop.

“It’s a spirit of defiance. I would definitely do another marathon. 

“Having someone take that spirit of determination and challenge away from you shouldn’t happen.”