Local runners plan to race in Boston Marathon again

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Two local runners who finished the Boston Marathon minutes before Monday's first blast are proud of the work of law enforcement to capture suspects, but the reality of it all is still setting in.

"We have a lot of 'what-ifs.' What if we didn't start when we did? What if we stopped? What if we didn't see each other?" Noreen Moloney told Channel 2's Ashley Swann.

It was Moloney's first time at the Boston Marathon. She trained with her friend, third-timer Yvette Webb, and they finished seven and eight minutes before the first bomb went off.

"I call it my seven minutes, my lucky seven," Webb said.

Three people were killed in the blasts, and an officer was killed in one of the subsequent gun battles with the suspects, police said.

Since returning home to Georgia, the pair said they have been glued to news coverage of the case. It culminated in Friday's capture of the surviving bombing suspect, 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. The other suspect, his brother, Tamerlan, was killed in a shootout with police the previous night.

Local authorities are being praised for their work in the case.
 
"I'm very proud, very proud of them. They did an excellent job, excellent," Webb said.

The women said they are closer than ever and will run in the race again next year to honor the victims.

WSBTV