Sneaker Factory Manager, Bernardsville Man, Both Finished Marathon Before Explosion

Bernardsville resident Beau Atwater finished the Boston Marathon is less than three hours, and already was in a local bar celebrating his time of 2:57:19 when he saw the television report of Monday's explosion at the marathon's finish line, his wife said.

Gretchen Atwater said her husband was planning to return home on Tuesday.

She also said that all the members of the running club to which they belong, the Do Run Runners from the Randolph area, are reported to be safe. The club included members from the Bernardsville and Mendham area, Gretchen Atwater said.

She added that her husband said that about a fifth to a quarter of the runners still had not completed the course at the time of the blast.

Meanwhile, The Sneaker Factory Running Center's assistant manager, Kim Turlip of Dunellen, had completed the Boston Marathon on Monday afternoon about 20 minutes or a half-hour before the explosion at the finish line, and is reported to be safe, said Joe Jacobs, manager at the running store off Mountainview Blvd. in Basking Ridge.

Although he said he had not yet received word on any of the other runners from Basking Ridge or nearby participating in the Boston Marathon on Monday, Jacobs said he received a text from Turlip's husband letting him know that his co-worker was okay.

Jacobs said he had tried to reach Turlip by calling on a cell phone, but was unsuccessful. He said texts or social media seem to be the best way to contact people.

He said he hadn't heard anything else about local runners as of shortly before 7 p.m.

Basking Ridge residents on a list of runners signed up at the Boston Marathon included Polly Harrison, Mahmood Mosaddeghi, Joanna Stevens, and Harihan Velayudhan.

Bernardsville residents named on the list include Michael Scott, Beau Atwater and Tish Hamilton.