The passengers coming from Boston arrived at Tampa International Airport with stories of humanity, survival, and fear.
One of them, Bruce Shephard, was still wearing his running shoes when he stepped off the plane with his partner, Coleen Christensen. What should have been his ninth finish at the Boston Marathon, turned into a chaotic nightmare.
"Two minutes to go to make my time, two blocks to go when that first explosion went off," said Shephard.
Ten seconds later, they say they heard and felt the second blast. Christensen watched the finish line from her hotel room, wondering if Shephard was one of the many victims.
"I went in my room, looked out the window and I could just see all the carnage. It immediately happened right across the street. I could see everything going on. Everybody was trying to help everybody. The whole sidewalks were covered with blood. All blood in front of the area where the bombing was," she said, showing pictures and video she captured from her I-Pad.
Four hours, the couple tried frantically to get a hold of eachother, fearing the worst. Then their cell phones began to work again. They were finally relieved and reunited.
Now back home in Carrollwood, the 68-year-old doctor and avid marathon runner is happy, for the first time, about not making it to the finish line. He sifted through eight of his previous medals fromt he Boston Marathon, and put one over his neck.
"I would have gotten one of these if I finished the race," said Shephard.
But he calls it a stroke of luck that brought a life long lesson out of a senseless tragedy.
"Your time is important. But it’s your time in life, not your time at the Boston Marathon that counts," he said.
Shephard said he'll be back next year, thankful he's one of the lucky ones that can return.