None of us will likely forget where we were when two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15. North Haven resident Ryan O’Connell certainly won’t. The local runner participated in this year’s marathon, his fifth time running the famed course. 

Fortunately, O’Connell crossed the finish line around 1:35 p.m. that day, more than one hour before the explosions.

After the race, O’Connell reunited with his wife Michelle and his sons Evan (10) and Matthew (8). They got on the T, Boston’s subway system, and headed back to their hotel in nearby Cambridge, Massachusetts.

“We were on the T when it happened,” said O’Connell.

The family found out about the bombings once they returned to their hotel.

“We were lucky to be out of the area,” O’Connell said.

O’Connell said the family left its Cambridge hotel on Monday and returned to North Haven.

“The natural inclination is to get out of the area,” he said. “Once we packed up, we left.”

On the trip back to Connecticut, O’Connell and his family saw “lots of police going in the other direction” headed toward the Boston area.

Despite the bombings, O’Connell said he plans to run the race again.

“Definitely,” he said when asked if he would return. “At some level, we have to defiantly say we’re not going to let these people get in the way.”

O’Connell said security will undoubtedly be extremely tight at the Boston Marathon next year.

“It’s probably going to be the safest place next year,” he said. “Security will be over the top. It has to be.”