MONTEGO BAY, St James — Jamaican Wayne Levy, who completed Monday’s 116th staging of the Boston Marathon before the tragic event that saw three persons, including an eight-year-old boy, being killed and more than 170 injured after two bombs went off at the finish line, hopes the event will not tarnish the image of the world’s famous race.

Levy, who was born in Black River, St Elizabeth, but also lived in Kingston before migrating to the United States at age 12 to live in Connecticut with his mother, finished the 26.2-mile race in two hours 42 minutes and 38 seconds to place 352nd overall from the over 27,000 runners, who started the race.

The 47-year-old Levy sounded shaken hours after the incident, which was televised around the world, and he told the Jamaica Observer that he was hopeful that the event would not have been tarnished as a result. “This is one of the oldest marathons in the world and to have this happen, it leaves a dark cloud over the event, and I hope it won’t leave a black mark on the Boston Marathon.”

He added that he had already completed the race and was in the recovery tent with some of his teammates when they heard the first explosion. “We were leaving when we heard the blast. It was loud enough that we heard it from about one and a half blocks away. We never thought it was a bomb, but when we heard the second explosion we knew something was wrong and we got out of there as soon as possible.”

He described the situation as being “chaotic” even that far from the scene of the bombs.

Levy, who won the first ever Boston Half Marathon held in 2001, said he hoped Monday’s event would not negatively affect the race that attracted runners from over 50 countries. “We can’t allow evil to win, the runners and the sport must prevail.”

The runner has been competing in long distance races since he moved to the United States, running in high school and college, and completed 13 marathons, including Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and Cape Cod; over 30 half marathons and countless 5Ks and 10Ks.