Tag Archives: Boston

TAMUT Coach Escapes Boston Marathon Bombings

Posted on by

Meagan Garrison

Texas A&M-Texarkana’s very own track coach Jeff Haynes was in Boston on Apr. 15, 2013 competing for the first time in what many runners feel is the hall of fame of marathons, the Boston Marathon.

After recovering from an injury, Haynes ran some but then walked most of the way from mile 21 to 24.  “At mile 25, I was reenergized and didn’t walk another step until I crossed the line,” said Haynes.  As he crossed the finish line Haynes recalls giving children high fives and a man taking his picture on the side of the street once he got his medal.

Haynes finished the Boston Marathon in 3 hours and 52 minutes. “If God had not pushed me through that last mile, I would have walked in about 15-17 minutes later,” said Haynes.  “The bomb went off at 4 hours and 9 minutes.  17 minutes!”  The bombs would kill 3 people and injure more than 140.

“According to the news, the bombers were spotted on surveillance being at the finish line 15-20 minutes before the bomb went off, this means that my family and I were there at the same time,” said Haynes

Haynes, along with his wife and daughter were about a half block away when they heard the first bomb go off.  “After hearing the second bomb go off, my wife and I knew we needed to get out of there and get our daughter to safety,” said Haynes.  After many attempts to get a taxi, they saw a man get out of one and they grabbed his.  The Haynes’ family saw many police cars, fire trucks and ambulances fly by and head towards the finish line.  “We asked the taxi driver what was going on and he said it was the Boston Marathon, its Patriot’s day,” said Haynes.  He then replied, “I know that I just ran it, and then that’s when we heard over the taxi’s radio that there were two explosions that went off at the finish line.”

“God is good and he ain’t done with me! He protected me and my loved ones. Better get it right before you get it wrong,” said Haynes.

When asked if he would ever compete in the Boston Marathon again after experiencing this, Haynes replied, “You bet!”

Amid Tragedy, Baseball Returns to Boston

Posted on by

Shelby Mustain

Baseball resumed in Boston this weekend after the tragedy at Monday’s Boston Marathon.  The Red Sox returned to a full house at Fenway Park for a weekend series with the Kansas City Royals

“A lot of us are anxious to get back home, play in front of our crowd, and try to uplift the people of Boston,” Red Sox catcher David Ross said prior to last weekend’s series.

Patriots Day, a national holiday in the city of Boston, was marred by tragedy Monday when two bombs went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon resulting in three deaths.  The Red Sox returned home Friday from a series with the Cleveland Indians, anxious to get back on the diamond, however the opener of their weekend series was delayed due to the continued search for the bombing suspects.

Saturday’s game brought with it plenty of emotion as Neil Diamond flew in to lead the Red Sox crowd in a rendition of his hit song “ Sweet Caroline,” a tune that has become a staple during the eighth inning of Red Sox home games. Saturday afternoon also saw the return of slugger David Ortiz from the disabled list for his first game of the season.

“This past week, I don’t think there’s one human being who wasn’t affected by what was going on down here.” Ortiz said after the Red Sox 4-3 victory Saturday afternoon.

The Red Sox are currently in first place in the American League East standings and start a four game series with the Houston Astros this Thursday at Fenway Park.

photo http://www.flickr.com/photos/heylookitsam/3047535542/