Wednesday April 17, 2013

Malaysian Marathoner escapes Boston bombings by 30 minutes

By LOSHANA K. SHAGAR
loshana@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: Cold weather and lack of friends are often a dampener to one’s experience in a foreign country, but Malaysian marathoner Lim Kian Huat (pic) has precisely these factors to thank for saving his life.

The 57-year-old who participated in the Boston Marathon Majors Series left the venue 30 minutes before the explosion near the finish line because he was cold and tired.

“I only waited to take my prize. I might have stayed around if I had friends, but I didn’t know the other Malaysian runners there,” said Lim in a telephone interview yesterday.

There were eight other Malaysians who took part in the marathon.

The aircraft maintenance engineer with Malaysia Airlines had completed the marathon in three hours and 33 minutes.

He was at the Arlington subway station waiting to return to his hotel when he found out about the explosion.

“The Boston Marathon is one of the oldest running events, and no one had expected this to happen at such a renowned event,” he added.

Lim said he was unsure about what happened at the bombing site, but the city had quickly descended into chaos.

Train operations ceased immediately, prompting him and other participants to walk 5km to the Holiday Inn Express.

Upon arrival at the hotel, they were advised to head for their rooms and remain indoors until further notice.

“Since it was the wee hours in Malaysia at the time, I did not call my family to inform them.

“When I spoke to them, they were equally shocked. They advised me to stay safe and are awaiting my return to Malaysia,” he said.

The marathoner, who has been running for three years in events in Tokyo, Chiang Mai, Yangon and Taipei, will be flying home today at 4pm (Boston time) and will be arriving on Thursday morning (local time).

Lim said it would not deter him from taking part in future marathons as it was a “one-off incident”.

Two bombs ripped through the crowd near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people, maiming others and injuring more than 100 in what a White House official said would be treated as an “act of terror”.

It is said to be the worst bombing on US soil since security was tightened after the attacks of Sept 11, 2001, and President Barack Obama promised to hunt down those responsible for the attack.

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Wednesday April 17, 2013

Malaysian Marathoner escapes Boston bombings by 30 minutes

By LOSHANA K. SHAGAR loshana@thestar.com.my

By LOSHANA K. SHAGAR
loshana@thestar.com.my