Bill Iffrig, runner knocked down by 2013 blasts near Boston Marathon finish line, dies at 89
Bill Iffrig, the man who is featured in one of the most iconic images of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, has died at the age of 89.
Iffrig was near the finish line on Boylston Street on April 15, 2013, when a powerful explosion knocked the 78-year-old off of his feet.
Multiple photographs taken that day showed Iffrig on the ground, but one particular picture taken moments after the second of two blasts shows Iffrig lying in the street surrounded by three Boston police officers, one of whom had their weapon drawn. That photo was published on the cover of .
Iffrig was able to make it back to his feet and finished the race in four hours, three minutes and 47 seconds, placing fourth in his age group. He was one of the last runners to finish the race, as officials stopped the race shortly after the bombings.
"Like Bill Iffrig, 78 years old — the runner in the orange tank top who we all saw get knocked down by the blast — we may be momentarily knocked off our feet, but we’ll pick ourselves up. We’ll keep going. We will finish the race," President Barack Obama said while addressing the nation after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings.
Iffrig suffered significant hearing loss in his left ear, the side nearest the explosion, and minor muscle damage in his right thigh as a result of the fall.
He did not run the Boston Marathon , but he ran the following year at the age of 80 and finished second in his age group with a time of 4:24:22.
reported that Iffrig died of natural causes Jan. 8 in Marysville, Washington. According to the Herald, Iffrig was a carpenter and mason from Lake Stevens, Washington, who was also a decorated masters runner with many age-group national championship titles.
The Herald said Iffrig's wife of 69 years, Donna, died in November. Iffrig is survived by two children, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Information from Runner's World, a magazine owned by Hearst, was used in this report.