Ron Roppelt was a quarter-mile from finishing his sixth Boston Marathon when he saw a plume of white smoke billowing from Boylston Street. It was a quarter-mile he’s glad he’ll never run.
Roppelt, 61, of Forest Hill was among 15 Harford County runners who participated in the marathon Monday, and was still on the course when a pair of bombs ripped through the crowds of spectators near the finish line, killing three people and injuring more than 180.
Turning off Commonwealth Avenue and onto Hereford Street, Roppelt had only a few blocks to go before making a left onto Boylston Street and heading for the finish line when he saw large amounts of white smoke drifting up from that area.
He said he was among the first runners stopped by Boston police.
“It was the strangest, surreal scene,” he said. “Cops put their arms up and we were trying to get around them to finish. It became like a traffic jam, with people backing up.”
As the moments passed, several runners became agitated, halted so close to their goal.
“Then one of the cops said there was a bomb blast at the finish line,” Roppelt recalled. “I tell you, everyone that heard that felt like they won the lottery. Every guy and girl within 50 feet froze. It was the strangest thing.”
Roppelt and his fellow runners soon encountered spectators fleeing the scene of the bombings, and said their faces “were like what you saw on 9/11 with people running away.”
Someone handed Roppelt a post-race space blanket and, realizing that more bombings could be imminent, he headed back to his room at the Marriott near Quincy Market.
In the days since the bombings, Roppelt said he’s considered a number of factors that put him where he was at the time of the attacks—rather than a short distance further along the course, where the bombs went off, or further behind on the course and out of the area completely. Roppelt said his age and qualifying time meant he started the race at the beginning of the third wave of runners, rather than the end of the second wave as he has in the past. Also, Roppelt said he started out more slowly than usual, nursing a slight hamstring injury, putting him on pace to finish a few minutes behind his goal time.
After running at least one marathon for the last 34 years, and waiting 25 years before qualifying for the Boston Marathon in 2007, Roppelt said the attacks have him reconsidering participating in future “big-city marathons”—but that the allure remains.
“That’s a tough one,” he said. “It’s hard to give up, it’s like being on the Olympic team, it’s pretty cool to be among an elite group.”
Above Forest Hill resident Ron Roppelt, following the 2013 Walt Disney World Marathon in January.
Wow, I was thinking of running in the marathon this year but at the last minute decided to stay home and get drunk.
Do I ever feel lucky.
Hey dagger want to do a story on my near death experience?
You aren’t a Jack Rabbit, you’re a jackass.
If The Bombing happened in MD – the murderer would live if convicted, or is there Federal law to supercede? O’Malley supports life for those who blow up 8 year old children, wonderful.
I really thought I was done posting on this forum, but you’ll pull me out for a reply here. Martin O’Malley is certainly no friend of mine and his pathetic attempt at governing is well documented… However, to use this tragedy to parade his policies or play some speculation game is abhorrent.
Of late the most disgusting act by politicians aside from proposing legislation that will not prevent one school shooting, is the parading of vitims’ families to create some emotional rather than rational response to a real problem. Your post does the same thing.
My heart aches for the people who are directly suffering from this tragedy. I hope the guilty are found and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. And i pray nothing like this happens again there, here or anywhere.
If tragedies only serve to point out what divides us instead of uniting us, then I’d have to say the people who intend harm have won and will continue to mound on the victories in their warped crusades.
Done again…
Well said “Local Guy”.
I demand immediate action on this. We cannot tolerate people bombing innocent others. So, let’s require all bombers to register and be approved for explosive materials. That will stop it.
Events like the bombing show us what a fairy tale world our leaders live in. It may be abhorrent to some to point this out , but as Rahm Emmanuel said – never let a crisis go to waste. Do we all really agree this was a terrible tragedy or do some see it more as another weapon to push an agenda? Of course this was awful…..for God sake – an eight year old boy – blown to bits – and if it happened in the state of Maryland we’d have to breathe the same air as the murderer for the duration of his natural life because our governor wants to be President?! That’s what is really abhorrent!
Whew….a quarter mile, that was close. BUT did he stay at a Holiday Inn Express?
I’m sorry, but this story kind of trivializes the tragedy befallen an 8 year old child etc. Really, people had limbs blown off, but I am glad he feels it is cool to be in an elite group. I am actually sick that I took the time from my boring life to read it. I now know how folks felt that had their brunch disrupted after the Twin Towers fell. No wonder they hate us.
this story does not trivialize the tragedy in Boston. That is your interpretation. Who is “they” in “No wonder they hate us.”
Figure it out J. Once you exit the lady’s clothes.
Don, why don’t you have the integrity to say just whom is the enemy.
I just put the tailgate up, heading to the scrap yard with a full load of trophies I’ve gotten. Should I post a picture of my elite accomplishments before they are recycled?
Why is his story so much more interesting than the other runners who didn’t die in the blast?
Oh that’s right he’s from here so we must suddenly care about him and his opinions.
Attention w-h-o-r-e
I can’t believe my luck too. I was in down town Boston 13 months ago in that very spot… Just imagine if the timing had been different, I could have been front page news. Sends shivers up my spine. Thank God I feel so lucky,
I know that jackass. He’s one of those guys that always needs attention. Notice how he didn’t just send a face pic, he had to submit his mickey mouse running medals with a Disney background. What a looser.