Bolingbrook High School Teacher John Sullivan had a big goal to accomplish Monday -- to clock a personal best time in his third Boston Marathon.
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"(My goal was) to do a personal record at the age of 50," Sullivan said. "I was going to leave my mark on Boston.'"
He succeeded, running 26.2 miles in 2:58:08. That meant Sullivan crossed the finish line 70 minutes before two bombs exploded, killing three people and injuring more than 170 others.
When the bombs went off, Sullivan was in a hotel lobby six blocks away. He said he didn't hear the explosions; the lobby was noisy with other runners and their friends and family.
"There was such a high energy of enjoyment," Sullivan said. "It was parents of kids, family members. Everyone was in such a good mood."
One runner asked a group if they had heard about the explosions. That's when everyone turned to the TV.
"People started panicking," Sullivan said. "They couldn't find their family members."
Sullivan said he started receiving text messages and voicemails but could not respond. The panic brought back memories of Sept. 11, 2001, he said, when his family desperately tried to reach his brother-in-law in New York City.
Sullivan was finally able to send an e-mail to his wife. He stayed in his hotel room the rest of the day.
He walked past the closed-off marathon route Tuesday.
"There was debris all over the street, like a marathon had just finished," Sullivan said. "It was an eerie feeling. It was like a lot of the images you would see in 9/11."
Sullivan returned to Bolingbrook High School Wednesday, where he teaches web design and animation and graphic design. He said he's still numb.
"I know it could have been me," Sullivan said. "I was in the exact spot running to the finish line (where the bomb went off)...
"In a selfish way, I feel like I accomplished (my goal). But I feel terrible about what happened. The more I hear about it, the more pictures I see, it makes me disgusted."
Sullivan said he does not have plans to run his fourth Boston Marathon. But Monday's tragedy would "not stop (him)."
"That would actually make me want to go back," he said. "Whoever or whatever did this, I'm going to show them that I'm tougher. I think that's what a lot of people feel."
READ MORE:
- Bolingbrook Native, Boston Marathon Medical Tent Doctor Remembers 'True Heroes of the Day'
- Blogger John McGrath writes on why Boston will be back.
- View Patch's full photo gallery of the explosions at the marathon.
- A witness from the scene of the explosion Monday said of the incident, "All of a sudden everyone turned around and was running in the opposite direction".