[deltaqueue]

Slightly off topic, but is anyone else confused by the fact that several runners in this video[1] reacted to the explosion but did not turn and proceeded to keep running? These people weren't exactly leading the pack (at a 4+ hours finish time), so my guess is that they are just severely deprived of nutrients and aren't processing what's happening, but it's still a bit baffling to me why some didn't turn to see what was going on.

[1] https://vine.co/v/bFdt5uwg6JZ

*EDIT - thanks to those who confirmed. My confusion is now totally irrelevant after seeing the finish-line view of the same people[2]. It just took them a few seconds to register and they were just in a running flow.

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=046MuD1pYJg

[IvyMike]

I've never run a marathon, but I've attended several supporting runners I knew. I spent my time at the finish line watching the runners come across.

Pretty much everyone who finishes is some level of fucked up. Their body chemistry is way-the-hell out of whack, with problems from dehydration, hyponatremia, glycogen depletion, and boosted or dampened immune system reactions. Usually there are people at the finish looking for trouble cases and shunting them directly to the medical tent. (Because the runner might not even recognize that how bad a state they are in.)

I've had hyponatremia once after an ill-advised hike, and I literally couldn't form sentences out loud.

It doesn't surprise me that people weren't reacting in a normal way, because they weren't in a normal state of being.

[pvaldes]

Most people simply don't know how to react in a situation like this. Is normal to do silly things when normal people is inmersed in an emergency. Some people take photos standing in the way to the exit, others flee away in the wrong direction creating a risk of stampede, most not trained people (and even some of the trained people) do exactly the type of things that you should not to do... is pretty habitual.

[purephase]

If you've ever run a marathon, you'd know. 4 hours is still a pretty decent time for 26 miles and, for most runners, the last leg up to finish line is usually a pretty exhausting/euphoric time. Aside from your own heartbeat and breathing, you really don't notice much else.

To me, it looks like they respond physically to the shockwave but are not mentally registering anything other than the finish line.

[jlees]

Agree, that close to the finish line I would have done the same. Especially as everyone would be pushing so hard because it's Boston.

[msandford]

I raced bicycles in college and I can say with confidence that after a 4-6 hour training ride I was wiped out physically and mentally. Had an explosion gone off when I was in that state and only a few blocks from home I would have made sure I was OK and kept pedaling for gatorade and a shower. I don't see their behavior as terribly puzzling given my fairly extensive experience with an exhausted state of mind.

[forgottenpaswrd]

I have a different experience with bikes.

I had done serious mountain biking and my worst injuries are not from doing extremely dangerous things like hard dropping from a 3 meter slippery stone, witch is something you prepare very well, but for really really stupid errors when being physically, and specially mentally exhausted.

I was 2centimeters away from losing an eye, with itching and hurting wounds in my face, some fractured bones.

On retrospect it was like part of my brain disconnected for most of the time when exhausted.

I could understand the man whose legs stop supporting him with the blast, hopefully he recovers.

[cadetzero]

To be totally honest, if you heard a huge explosion behind you, would YOU stop to see what happened? Personally I'd book it harder.

[maurits]

I thought it was a pretty wel known response that people under duress or stress fallback to their normal behaviour, as if nothing happened.

[sigzero]

Yup, at that stage you are focusing on "the goal" and that is pretty much it.

[orangethirty]

Whenever I finish an event, my mind is offline for about 30 minutes. If this had happened to me, I would probably kept on running and not react.