BHS grad’s triumphant day caught up in chaos
By Jennifer Eisenbart
Staff Writer
Monday afternoon should have been a glowing moment of triumph for Burlington native Cory Harris.
After all, less than four years ago, he was told by doctors that he would spend the rest of his life walking with a limp – and, although he had been a top-class distance runner, would never run again after a devastating car accident.
For 45 minutes on Monday, Harris got a glorious redemption, finishing the Boston Marathon – the world’s oldest marathon – in 3 hours, 10 minutes.
And then, as he stood about a block away from the finish line, Harris heard and felt the first of two explosions that shook Boston.
“Being so close, it was extremely loud,” said Harris. “Immediately, everyone stopped in their steps. So silent you could hear a pin drop.”
Navigating chaos
Monday’s attacks, which have been labeled as acts of terrorism by the U.S. government, gained wide media attention almost immediately. Because of the large number of runners in the event – more than 23,000 – even trying to call or text a loved one at the event became nearly impossible.
Through it all, Cory Harris was left trying to find everyone who had traveled to see him run – and eventually, leave Boston with a memory he had never expected and certainly did not want.
“A day that’s supposed to celebrate freedom and patriotism and a big day of accomplishment for so many, a day many are at the marathon for their first time, tarnished with such a senseless act,” said Harris.
After several hours of fighting traffic Monday, Harris and his family – which included his parents and his brother, Cord – finally made it out of Boston and headed back to Wisconsin. They had hotel reservations for another evening, but didn’t want to stay in the middle of what had transitioned from a national sporting event to a disaster zone.
As of Tuesday, three people had died – including an 8-year-old boy who was running away from the first explosion when the second went off – and more than 180 people were injured. Of the injured, CNN.com was reporting Tuesday that 89 had been released from hospitals.
Too good to be true
Cory Harris was not injured. In fact, he finished well before the first explosion. While the time wasn’t a personal best or near the goal of 2:45 to 2:50 he had set, Cory was still proud of what he’d done on the race course.
“Leading up to the explosions, the experience was very emotional and almost felt to be too good to be true,” said Cory. “I savored every last second of the race and all the festivities. It was truly a remarkable experience.”
The pair of explosions set into motion a string of chaos. About 5,500 of the runners didn’t even get to finish the race. But even more frustrating, most runners had no way to communicate with family because they didn’t carry their cell phones when they ran.
After the second explosion, Cory said, “Everyone immediately began running in all directions. Everyone was crying and didn’t know what to do. Little kids in tears. The police ran towards the injured and the volunteers and runners. Thousands of people ran the opposite way.”
Even when people did have phones, cell service in the city was spotty at best.
“It took me nearly 40 minutes for my family to find me,” said Cory, who was with a few members of his family when it happened. Originally, they ducked into a Panera Bread restaurant, but were eventually forced out of there and out of the area.
Making connections
One of the saving graces for Cory Harris – and those trying to find him – turned out to be social media, namely Facebook. One of his former Burlington High School teachers, Tim Mocarski, had posted Cory’s finishing time well before the explosion, and news eventually made its way to friends. At about 3:50 p.m. CST Monday, Cory ended up posting on Facebook himself, reassuring everyone that he was fine and that he would keep people updated.
He eventually posted some photos from the race and its aftermath.
Later Monday evening, on his way home, Cory said that seeing everything that had happened would stick with him for a while.
“The act that followed (the race) definitely put a dark shadow on the big day, but I’m very happy and proud of what I’ve accomplished,” he said. “Like fellow runners and I discussed afterwards, however, lots of people – including myself – will hesitate on registering again next year.”
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