2013 was the year he decided to qualify, and coincidentally, the year terror struck the race.
“Oh, thank God.”
Those were the words of Joan Holzknecht, mother of Trinity teacher Mr. Scott Holzknecht, when she learned of her son’s safety after two bombs exploded at the 2013 Boston Marathon on Apr. 15.
For Holzknecht, a theology teacher and track coach at Trinity, running in the Boston Marathon was something he had to do. He described it as the marathon to compete in. “Anyone who’s done a marathon wants to do Boston,” he said.
Holzknecht, a 1997 Trinity graduate and former cross country runner, said he ran badly in the race due to a self-described lack of training and an injured back. He finished the race at 1:55 p.m., less than an hour before two bombs exploded at 2:49, killing three people and injuring 183 others.
After finishing the race just before 2, Holzknecht boarded the subway and headed back towards his friend’s house in Boston.
Another passenger on the subway said, “Two bombs went off at the Boston Marathon,” offering no further details. Holzknecht didn’t realize the severity of the situation until his mom called to make sure he was okay. At first, he thought it might have been fireworks or a small accident.
His mother explained people died. “When I learned the race was cancelled, that’s when I realized it was a big deal,” Holzknecht said.
Holzknecht described the atmosphere in Boston when he went to dinner later that night: “There was constant talk of the situation in the background. It was obviously the most pressing issue on everyone’s mind, but there was no sense of current endangerment.”
While not physically impacted by the attack, it has struck Holzknecht on a spiritual level. He said, “The result of the bombing for me personally is that its drawn me deeper into prayer. It’s such a great mystery why people want to destroy each other, while others want to save.”
Following the race, Holzknecht sent text messages to 2009 Trinity grad Brian Hancock and 2007 Trinity alumnus Thomas Noel, who also ran the marathon, to check on their safety.
“I never really felt like I was in danger,” Hancock said. “I finished the race and within an hour was back up in my hotel room, which was about five blocks from the finish line. I was just sitting and talking with my family when we heard something that sounded like thunder. A few seconds later, we heard it again, this time louder. Our hotel room was up on the 18th floor so we looked out and saw smoke rising. A few seconds later I saw some people running through the streets. Soon after, we heard sirens. It was then that we thought something might be wrong. We turned on the news and soon found out what had occurred.”
Hancock said he has no fear about going back to Boston. “I would definitely run the Boston Marathon again,” he said. “I hope next year has more entries and more spectators than ever before. That is the best way to protest such a horrific happening — to show up next time in even greater numbers and with even greater spirit.”
Holzknecht remains philosophical about the tragedy. He said, “Human beings have caused this suffering, and God is suffering with us. To connect to suffering, we connect to God.”