A BARROWFORD woman who witnessed first-hand the horror of the Boston Marathon bombings is to take part in her first race since the attack.

Nicola Nuttall, 43, withdrew from the Boston race in April due to an injury but was due to be a marshall at the finish line where two bombs went off, killing three people.

The amateur runner, of Park Road, said only ‘fate’ prevented her and her daughter, Laura, 13, from being caught up in the tragedy.

Now, she has recovered from a prolapsed disc which ruled her out of that infamous race and is preparing to tackle the Berlin Marathon later this month.

Nicola, who is ladies’ captain at Trawden Athletics Club, said: “We still travelled out to Boston and I limped around the 5km course in 56 minutes and crossed the finish line in tears.

“The next day that same finish line became a murder scene and my own personal misery paled into insignificance.

“In May, I had an operation to remove the disc and in July I finally started to run again. It hasn’t been easy as I still have nerve damage to my right foot and leg.”

Inspired by the loss of her grandfather, Ron Greaves, Nicola, who owns Giddy Kippers children’s play centre in Nelson, is raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support She said: “I know that I’m nowhere near the runner I was 12 months ago, but I am determined to make it across the finish and I’m really hoping it’s going to be happy tears this time.

“It’s going to be a tough challenge so soon after surgery, but the thought of raising of money for Macmillan Cancer Support in memory of my grandad will help to motivate me to push on and dig in when the going gets really tough.”

Nicola and Laura pulled out of their volunteering duties on the morning of the bombs when they secured three tickets for a sold-out Boston Red Sox game.

In July, the surviving bomb suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, pleaded not guilty to 30 charges including murder.

To donate to Nicola’s cause, visit http://www.just giving.com/nic-nut.