Lynnfield Runner Was 50 Yards Across Finish Line When Blasts Occurred

On Monday afternoon, 43-year-old John Beccia of Lynnfield had just crossed a Boston Marathon finish line for at least the sixth time in his life. Within a few minutes, the two bomb blasts went off, killing three and injuring at least 140, many of them critically.

"I just all of a sudden heard a huge explosion," Beccia told Lynnfield Patch in a Tuesday afternoon phone conversation. "There was a giant puff of white smoke, it just kind of shook things, I immediately saw people running to the scene..."

"It was a little too close for comfort," he added.

Beccia reported that he has run in six or seven Boston Marathons and raised money for the Jimmy Fund the last time out. He has also completed the Marine Corps Marathon in Arlington, Virginia, having started running marathons around age 30. He decided to sit out the 2012 Boston Marathon because of the heat that day.

Looking ahead to next year, Beccia is unsure whether he will run again - although it's more because of the demands of training for a marathon while also being the father of young children. At some points early this year, he recalled going out to run at 5:30 a.m. in the dark and snow. "I wouldn't let this stop me from going back," he said.

As somebody who has completed multiple Boston Marathons, Beccia is also concerned for the event itself moving forward. He notes that the Boston Marathon is "wall to wall people" for pretty much its entire course, unlike even some of the other major U.S. marathons. The ability of spectators to get so close to the runners is one of the things that makes the Boston Marathon special, he added. 

"To me, Boston is a special event," he said. "It's a generational thing... hopefully this won't impact it too much."

In a separate local story from that day, fellow Lynnfield resident Mike DiSilvio was less than a half mile behind Beccia at the time the bombs went off. Read his story here.

Editor's Note: John Beccia's wife, Carlyn, was interviewed by this website back in August, 2011 about her work as a children's book author and illustrator. Check it out here.