Boston blasts: Runners return from Boston horror...

Bermuda’s top runners returned home yesterday after a marathon triumph turned to tragedy and death after Boston was bombed by terrorists.

Bermudian Ashley Estwanik, who ran the race with champion husband Chris, said they had finished more than an hour before the bombs went off.

She said: “We were in our hotel and left to get something to eat — we thought ‘why is everbody crying?’. Then we saw the news.

“It’s just devastating for the city and for the people whose families were hurt.”

Ms Estwanik, 35, speaking just after the couple’s flight home touched down in Bermuda, said fellow Bermuda runner Cary Butterfield, whose husband Spencer and children were in Boston to cheer her on, said she had seen a blast just in front of her.

She added: “She just ran into a friendly Boston house and used the landline to call her husband Spencer to make sure he and the kids had got out of the way.”

Mr Estwanik, 33, thanked the island community for the “countless” phone calls to check they were safe and well.

He added: “Having lived through it, it was not a fun situation — we’re grateful to be back in Bermuda.”

And he said the death of an eight-year-old boy in one of the blasts, which also
left his mother and six-year-old sister with serious injuries, had hit the couple hard.

He added: “You think of a family of four like ours, our hearts go out to the people of Boston. It’s going to take a long time to get over this.”

And the father-of-two said: “We’re going to give our kids a big hug.”

Ashley also paid tribute to the people of Boston, who rallied round to help each other and the city’s overseas visitors in the wake of the double bomb blast.

She said she and Mr Estwanik got off the streets and into a gym, then ended up in a nearby restaurant, which was locked down by police amid fears of secondary bombs as they tried to clear the area.

Ms Estwanik said: “We were there four hours or so. They were amazing. The wait staff were wonderful. There were 10 police officers outside and they were giving them free food.”

She added that many of the people in the restaurant were runners, whose personal belongings and money were at stations inside the blast zone.

But Ms Estwanik said: “The staff said ‘it’s on the house’ or people were buying lunch for other people.

“It was nice to see the human spirit come out in a positive fashion.

“That’s what will define that moment.”

Steven Ortiz, 35, from Devonshire, who was on the same flight, said: “It was shocking and upsetting — I’m just glad all the Bermudians were unhurt.

“We were stopped half a mile from the finishing line. We were all just wondering what had happened, then we got word of the explosions.

“A lot of people were worried about their loved ones at the finishing line.”

Mr Ortiz said he had run five marathons, including New York, Chicago and Paris, although it was his first time at the Boston event.

He added he had “mixed feelings” about competing overseas again.

Mr Ortiz said: “I’m glad to be home.” But he also praised Bostonians for their kindness.

He said: “They were coming out of their houses, bringing water and blankets and trash bags to warm ourselves with. Their spirit was great.”

But he added: “There are some crazy people in the world. 

“It could have been a lot worse and I’m glad it wasn’t worse than it was.”

Claire De Ste Croix, 48, of Devonshire, said she had been unable to contact husband Neil in Bermuda to tell him she was safe and well. 

She added: “He couldn’t get through to me either, so he was a bit panic-stricken. But a friend who lives in Boston managed to get through to him.

She added: “My heart goes out to all the families of the dead and injured. It was a very sad day. 

“I was only a block away when I heard the explosions. There was a lot of confusion and I didn’t realize what had gone on. It was a very tragic day.” n