DAYTON -- Several dozen runners from the Miami Valley are making their way back to Ohio.
Mark Schenk is just getting back into his routine, checking the mail at his Dayton home. He got home April 16th after running the Boston Marathon.
"Really scary situation," said Schenk who finished in the first wave, and already left the downtown area when the bombs went off. He saw their impact at the airport.
"Because we had our Boston gear on, we got interviewed by three different Homeland Security officers. And then during the screening process... You know our hands were checked with special wands to see if there was a residue or if there was anything else on there, so there was a heightened security certainly at the airport."
Then Schenk watch the horror unfold with the rest of the world on TV.
Roxanne Hanna of Springboro had just crossed the finish line when she heard the first boom, "I just stood there and saw the second explosion. We didn't know what to do. As runner we just stood there and thought what's going on?"
"I was a minute and a half ahead of the explosion... and you think those kinds of things can never happen to you. It's still just shocking," said Jill Cummins of West Chester.
Mary O'Donoghue of Lebanon was already back her hotel and found out by turning on the News.
"Just concerned with everybody who was out there and certainly about those that were injured," said O'Donoghue.
All these local runners say they'll be back to Boston to run again, with pride.
"Everybody just kind of pulled together. Shared stories, shared experiences... it makes a big city a really small community I think," said Schenk.
Mark Schenk is just getting back into his routine, checking the mail at his Dayton home. He got home April 16th after running the Boston Marathon.
"Really scary situation," said Schenk who finished in the first wave, and already left the downtown area when the bombs went off. He saw their impact at the airport.
"Because we had our Boston gear on, we got interviewed by three different Homeland Security officers. And then during the screening process... You know our hands were checked with special wands to see if there was a residue or if there was anything else on there, so there was a heightened security certainly at the airport."
Then Schenk watch the horror unfold with the rest of the world on TV.
Roxanne Hanna of Springboro had just crossed the finish line when she heard the first boom, "I just stood there and saw the second explosion. We didn't know what to do. As runner we just stood there and thought what's going on?"
"I was a minute and a half ahead of the explosion... and you think those kinds of things can never happen to you. It's still just shocking," said Jill Cummins of West Chester.
Mary O'Donoghue of Lebanon was already back her hotel and found out by turning on the News.
"Just concerned with everybody who was out there and certainly about those that were injured," said O'Donoghue.
All these local runners say they'll be back to Boston to run again, with pride.
"Everybody just kind of pulled together. Shared stories, shared experiences... it makes a big city a really small community I think," said Schenk.