On April 15 tragedy struck at the Boston Marathon, when two bombs exploded at the finish line of the race. As of Wednesday, three people had been pronounced dead, and over 170 are wounded. Of that 170, 62 are still in the hospital and 12 are still in critical condition, according to ABC News.

The Boston Marathon attracts many elite runners from all across the nation. The legendary marathon is a part of the all-city celebration in honor of Patriot Day, and is considered a state holiday for Massachusetts. Colorado had six runners cross the finish line to the Boston Marathon within one minute of the first explosion. Rachel Tovar, a Fossil Ridge High School sophomore, was sitting on the tarmac at Logan International Airport when she saw the news of the bombing on the TV in the seat in front of her. She and her brother quickly grabbed their cell phones to get a hold of their parents, who were stillstaying at a hotel near the finish line of the race.

“My aunt was running in the marathon; she passed the finish line about 20 minutes before the first bomb went off,” Tovar explained. “Everyone in my family, my parents, my grandparents, my cousins and my aunt and my uncle, were staying in Boston, only my brother and I were coming home.”

Unaware if their aunt had finished the race prior to the explosion, they frantically tried to contact their family. Due to cell phone lines being down, they were unable to reach their family and knew nothing of their safety until they landed four and a half hours later in Denver.

“They were all okay,” Tovar said. “They were in their hotel room watching the race on the TV when they heard the bomb go off below them.” Tovar said that her family immediately went to the window and saw the chaos erupting below. But for Tovar the news hit her more deeply. “I had begged my mom a couple of days before the marathon to let me stay and be in the grand stands at the finish line.”

Beyond just the idea of having wanted to be where the bombs exploded, Tovar felt sadness and anger for all of the families and people who experienced pain from this tragedy. “I just don’t understand what makes someone want to blow up a whole group of civilians.”