WHEN bombs ripped through the finish line of the Boston Marathon, Cheltenham runner Virginia Pawlyn was left to hunt for her two sons.
The 72-year-old from Leckhampton was just half-a-mile from the explosion and was left in a state of shock.
Alone in a strange city, she was unable to contact her sons Dean and Jolyon, who were waiting to meet her close to where the blasts happened. Incredibly, the pair walked away from the incident unscathed.
Virginia was stopped by race security only half a mile from the end when two bombs exploded near the finish line on Monday.
Dean and Jolyon walked away from the dramatic scenes unscathed.
Speaking from the United States, Virginia said: "It was scary. I didn't hear the explosions and no one really knew what had happened.
"There were lots of police officers rushing around.
"We were told to stay in a nearby residential street. But all the area's communications had gone down after the blast and for a long while I couldn't get in touch with my two boys. I was worried because I was alone in a strange city and unsure if they were okay."
Her sons were in Boston to support Virginia on her fifth marathon.
Dean, 46, said: "My brother and I were only five blocks down from the explosion.
"I just heard this big bang.
"A big cloud of white smoke went up and we knew something must have happened – although we didn't know what."
Those who know Virginia well have urged her to continue running, despite the harrowing experience.
Karen Galpin, vice-chairman for Almost Athletes, said: "There is a great sense of relief that she wasn't hurt and that her family spectating were also fine.
"We are a very close-knit community and, as a club, we were all very concerned when the explosion happened."
Dan Fivey, Virginia's fitness instructor, added: "I am just glad that she didn't run any faster than she did.
"If she was only a thousand metres further down, she could have been in trouble."
