LOS ANGELS — Distance running greats Haile Gebrselassie and Paula Radcliffe were among those stunned by the twin blasts that left at least two dead and dozens injured at the Boston Marathon on Monday.
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“Horrified to hear news of bomb explosion near Boston Marathon finish,” Britain’s Radcliffe said on Twitter before the extent of the damage was known.
“Situation looks awful, thoughts with everyone,” the fastest women’s marathoner in history added later. “There are some very sick people out there, who would do something like this?”
Ethiopia’s Gebrselassie deplored what marathon organisers said was a bomb attack, although law enforcement officials did not immediately confirm the cause of the explosions.
“Running brings people together, but what just happened in Boston is terrible,” he said on Twitter. “My thoughts are with everybody in Boston.”
Race organisers said on Facebook that “two bombs” exploded near the finish line, without providing a source for the information.
“We are working with law enforcement to understand what exactly has happened,” the Boston Athletic Association said.
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Elite race winners Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia and Rita Jeptoo of Kenya had already donned the traditional olive wreaths awarded the victors of the venerable race and departed when the explosions sent terrified runners, spectators and event workers fleeing.
Police did not immediately say whether the explosions were part of a terrorist attack, but marathon organisers said it was a twin bombing and media outlets reported that other unexploded devices had been found nearby.
