Runners 'Complete' Boston Marathon at Ceremonial Finish in Rochester

Stephanie Bland of Oxford was at about the 26.1 mark of her 26.2-mile Boston Marathon trek when she heard a loud blast ahead and to her left.

"I just stopped because I didn't know what it was," she said.

Twelve seconds later, another blast sounded behind her and it became apparent Boston was under attack and she was in the center of it. 

"For a moment I honestly thought, 'I'm going to die,'" she said. Amid the chaos, however, Bland was able to reach her family and escape to safety.

Bland joined forces Thursday with whose 13th consecutive Boston Marathon was halted at the 25-mile mark, to "complete" the final leg of the marathon at Rochester Municipal Park.

Bland and Smith said they didn't know one another prior to the local event, but instantly bonded online over their shared experience. 

"Somehow on Facebook I saw a feed from (local running club) Your Pace or Mine saying they were going to do one mile, dedicating it to Boston," Smith said. 

She said she asked the group if she could join in and finish her Boston Marathon and the group welcomed her with open arms. A day later, she said, Bland asked the group if she could join, too.

Supporters clad in the Boston Marathon's trademark blue and yellow cheered as Bland and Smith led fellow runners through a one-mile course at the park, and the group treated the runners to a makeshift medal ceremony afterwards.

Among those running alongside Smith and Bland was Deb Bennethum of Rochester Hills, who had crossed the finish line of the Boston Marathon just minutes before the explosions.