Milford Runner's Son Survived Explosion at Finish Line

A Milford runner wasn’t near the finish line when the bombs went off at the Boston Marathon, but his son sat right across from the second blast.

Milford High School teacher Paul Joyce said his son and fellow Milford runners were not harmed by the explosions. A Milford coach and his students had already crossed the finish line, but Joyce was just a few blocks away when he noticed something was wrong.

“I was out a few miles and, as I came in, I could see the crowd change. The mood changed from cheering to disbelief.”

He could see police responding as they diverted runners away from the scene of the explosions, which killed three people and injured many more during yesterday’s marathon.

Joyce was running with a former student, while coach Michael Wright and four other Milford athletes had already reached safety after finishing. His son was right on the bomb scene, and could feel the concussion from both explosions.

The father and son were able to get in touch with each other as the whole area went into lock-down. Phone service had been disabled in order to prevent any remote triggering of bombs, but he was able to communicate through text messages.

As he was guided to safety, the seasoned runner witnessed countless acts of human kindness as Bostonians came out to do their part after the attack. He and fellow runners were freezing from the sweat accumulated from miles and miles of running.

“I was lucky enough to see wonderful human kindnesses,” said Joyce. “People came out of their apartments with armfuls of their own personal clothing. We didn’t have access to our own clothing, since they are stored in buses at the finish. People literally took shirts off their backs.”

People were sharing cell phones, bringing food out of their kitchens and doing what they could amidst the chaos. Individuals, families, college students and emergency responders showed the solidarity of Boston.

“It was really very moving to see how the people of Boston responded and helped each other.”

He grew up in the Boston area, and this was Joyce’s 13th Boston Marathon in a row. He has done 18 total marathons and was running with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society this year.

His determination was obvious when asked if the attack would affect any plans to run future marathons

“It absolutely won’t deter me. They don’t to get to win.