GRANDE PRAIRIE, Alberta (BVM) – Some of the most meaningful things in life must be ardently pursued, planned or figured out and then again, sometimes people unwittingly fall into them – or get tricked into them. Such was the case when Lisa Lauzon was struggling with the all too common pressures that women face, including weight-control, motivation and self-image, while trying to juggle life as a single mother.

Twelve years ago, when a co-worker invited her to join her for what Lauzon believed was a regular, 10-week long aerobics class, her first thought was, “Why not?” It was only after Lauzon had invested a tidy sum of money that she learned that it was in fact a triathlon training class. She had been on the swim team decades before and biking seemed like a reasonable part of the class, but running?

“Oh my God, no,” the 50-year-old Lauzon said. “I was old, and fat and I just thought ‘no, no, no!’ … We ran again a few more times and I got better. By the end of that class, I decided I wasn’t a big fan of swimming or biking, but running…that was kind of fun.”

It was a pivotal moment for the woman with the newfound sense of accomplishment, but she could not have possibly imagined in her wildest dreams how running would change the trajectory of her life forever and ironically, be the catalyst to her coming so close to losing it.

Running became a key force in Lauzon’s life.

“Running changed my life becoming my social time, my coping mechanism, a healthy escape and a great way to respect my body, which was now in the best shape it had ever been in,” Lauzon said.

Then on April 15, 2013, there was the marathon…the one in Boston. Lauzon recalls the experience vividly.

“I ran in Boston with 26,000 of my closest new friends,” Lauzon said. “The logistics to organizing 26,000 runners was mind boggling! Fans lined the barricades along the route. How awesome it felt to have fans. How wonderful the Boston fans were to be still cheering for us when they had been cheering already for an hour and seen 10,000 runners go past them. They held up funny signs and kids held out oranges, it was lovely.”

The run began and no one could have foreseen the terrifying events about to unfold on that fateful day.

“As we approached the finish line the crowds were huge, the roar of the spectators was overwhelming,” Lauzon said. “There were viewing stands, TV cameras and it felt like a parade.

“I felt like a charlatan running across the finish line, just nine minutes before the bomb went off, on a bright sunny afternoon among tens of thousands of people. They moved us away from the finish line, to receive food and drink, medals and get a finishing picture. This moved us around the corner and back up the next block. Smooth, organized and efficient. Then we felt the blast. Everything reverberated, I had never ‘seen noise’ before.”

Lauzon described a loud, ominous sound, like a building collapsing. It took a few minutes for the panic to ensue. People started to understand that something serious had happened and people had been hurt.

“There was no urge to run away or escape,” Lauzon said. “The panic was to find loved ones. In that moment I knew I had been blessed. My loved ones were safe in Canada. Whatever had occurred here, I need not worry for them, they were OK.”

Lauzon recalled feeling huge relief when she realized how close her mother and daughter had come to being in the stands but due to circumstances, could not attend. The chaos continued.

“I made my way back to my hotel, helping those that I could,” Lauzon said. “Listening, reassuring, hugging. I immediately posted on my Facebook that I was OK. Luckily, my cell phone was still working. I left a message for my mom and daughter. … I cried. They locked down our hotel shortly after that. The entire area was locked down. I watched out the window of my hotel room as dozens of black SUV’s descended on our street. I waited and messaged my loved ones at home. Grateful that they, who I wanted so desperately to be there, who would have been in the stands close to the bombs, were safe at home.”

The lockdown ended the following day. Guests were allowed out of their rooms and people began to congregate in the Starbucks in the lobby of the hotel. Lauzon headed out to the airport, hoping that her flight would be cleared to go.

“There were FBI in the waiting lounge, interviewing passengers as we waited for our flight,” Lauzon said. “I answered their questions, but I had seen nothing suspicious. Then I flew home, limping with a stress fracture, but healthy and whole. Alive and full of a renewed gratitude for my life that will last a lifetime.”