Bedford Runner Home Safe | Bedford NY Real Estate

Robert Laitman of Bedford crossed the marathon finish about 20 minutes before the blasts that killed three and injured 130 exploded in Boston.

But the person he planned to run with finished two minutes before the attacks went off—too close for comfort, but safely across the line, he said.

“My heart goes out to those people. I was high-fiving everyone at the finish line and I am thinking about them,” he said. “I think it’s a horrible, tragic event and I definitely could have been back there. The the timing of attack is terrible, it targeted all charity runners, groups finishing around the four-hour mark.”

Another Katonah runner, Jeffrey Welch, safely crossed the finish line, according to the Lewisboro Ledger. He completed the marathon about 15 minutes before the explosions, his wife, Carroll, told the paper Monday evening.

Click here for a list of local runners who were registered for the marathon. If you participated, were a spectator or have heard from runners, post your comments in the thread below.

Laitman said he was already at work on a project for his charity, Team Daniel—his runner’s group which raises money for mental health research—when he heard about the bombs.