Barriere resident and former Birch Islander, Dave Tremblay, was in Boston on Monday competing in the Boston Marathon.
Tremblay was most fortunate in the fact that he crossed the finish line an hour before explosions that have been called an “act of terrorism” occurred there. The blast took the lives of at least three people, including an eight-year-old boy, as well as seriously injuring well over a hundred people.
Tremblay was the only entrant from the communities of the North Thompson Valley. The next closest participating runners were eight people from Kelowna, one from Penticton, and three from Prince George.
Tremblay’s wife Tasha was with him in Boston, but their children had remained at home.
He finished the race, under bib number 7989, with an official time of 3:15:49.
Friends say the couple are expected home this week, and that everyone is thankful they are okay.
Another runner with a connection to the North Thompson Valley is a cousin of Little Fort resident Barb Denton. Her cousin Mark, from Toronto, finished about 45 minutes prior to the explosions and was at his hotel when they occurred. Mark’s grandmother was an early settler in Little Fort.