Boston blasts: Lucky escape for Indian American marathoner

Washington, April 17: An

-American marathoner and his family escaped

from Monday's deadly Boston Marathon bombings. But they suffered hours of anxiety as they searched for each other after the twin blasts.

Dallas area runner Ajith Pai had finished the 26.2-mile course in a personal best time of 3 hours, 2 minutes 16 seconds, about an hour before the explosions, dallasnews.com reported. His father and others had cheered him on at the finish line right at the international flags, where the first explosion occurred.

Another group of family members including his mother and wife were on Boylston Street near the finish line when the explosions occurred, the news site said.

They had cheered him at Mile 22 and were walking toward the family gathering place from Boston College.

"We got in touch briefly to know they were okay," Pai was quoted as saying. "They were on the other side of the finish line. They wouldn't allow them to come where we were."

Before the explosions, the day couldn't have been better for the Pais, according to the website. "The weather was fantastic," Pai said.

"Everyone was in great spirits. The crowds were amazing. Everything was awesome. For this to happen was very sobering. I'm happy for my family and sad for those that weren't so lucky," he was quoted as saying.

IANS