19 eastern Idaho runners in Boston Marathon: All safe

Nineteen eastern Idaho runners were in Boston registered for Monday’s marathon in which a pair of explosions left three people dead and more than 100 hurt.

Smoke filled the air as the race course turned into what looked more like a battlefield.

It happened just before 1 p.m. Mountain Time. The bombs went off just seconds apart.

Ten runners were from Idaho Falls, four from Pocatello, one from Shelley, two from Chubbuck, one from Soda Springs and one from Franklin.

We have been working with the Teton Running Company in Idaho Falls all afternoon to confirm the condition of our local runners.

We have confirmed the following eastern Idaho runners are safe either based on their clocked times or by direct communication with family:

— Robert Jensen (Pocatello)
— Kathleen Hart (Idaho Falls)
— Lowell Hawkes (Pocatello)
— Debbie Anglin (Idaho Falls)
— Craig Hudman (Shelley)
— Penny Parish (Pocatello)
— Glen Carpenter (Idaho Falls)
— Dave Hurley (Idaho Falls)
— Kynda Roberts (Idaho Falls)
— Patricia Russell (Idaho Falls)
— Josie McGee (Pocatello)
— Von Crofts (Idaho Falls)
— Karen Smith (Idaho Falls)
— Natalie Bitton (Chubbuck)
— Kim Evans (Chubbuck)
— Dave George (Soda Springs)
— Marlin Ordway (Idaho Falls)
— Tim Roney (Idaho Falls)
— Dotty Maddock (Franklin)

Several sources have confirmed to us this afternoon that Smith, of Idaho Falls, crossed the finish line at 2:49 local time in Boston — under a minute before the explosion. She posted on her Facebook page she is all right.

Idaho Falls runner Von Crofts was on a Boston subway platform on his way back to his hotel when he heard the explosion.

We reached him by phone this afternoon.

“At first I just thought it could be part of the celebration,” said Crofts. “I hoped it was like a cannon going off or something. But it was much too loud of that. It really had an eerie sound.”

Crofts’ daughter Sarah Crofts heard about the explosion while she was in class at Hillcrest High School.

“I called my mom in class,” said Crofts. “I was very relieved. He could have been there.”

At Teton Running Company in Idaho Falls, Marlene Kunz says the eastern Idaho running community is tight-knit. She was on Facebook seconds after hearing about the explosion, checking on her friend Karen Smith — the Idaho Falls runner reportedly crossed the finish line just moments before the first blast.

“I was worried about her, I texted her, I didn’t hear back,” said Kunz. “But then she posted on Facebook that she was O.K.”

If you want to know about a person who is not on the list above, go to Google Person Finder, http://google.org/personfinder/2013-boston-explosions. If you have information on that person, you can add it there as well.

We’ll update this story with more information as it becomes available.