Marathon icon and Syracuse University alumna Kathrine Switzer is safe in Boston following Monday’s Boston Marathon explosion.

Switzer, also known as K.V. Switzer, was the first woman to run in the Boston Marathon. She was back in Boston this week for the marathon and promotional events. She was doing a television appearance on the photo bridge near the finish line Monday afternoon, but had left the area 10 minutes before the explosion, according to a statement on her website.

“This is a sad, sad day. More news when I have it,” Switzer said in her brief message.

She said she and her husband are safe in their hotel and on lockdown. She could not be reached for an interview.

About four hours after the start of Monday’s race, two explosions occurred near the finish line. At least three people are dead and more than 130 are wounded, according to CNN.

When Switzer first ran the marathon in 1967, she was a 20-year-old journalism student at SU, according to her website. She ran with Arnie Briggs, a Syracuse men’s track coach, and her boyfriend Tom Miller, an ex-All-American football player. Two miles into the race, a marathon official attacked Switzer and tried ripping her race numbers off of her chest.

Before 1967, the marathon was socially recognized as an event for men, though the rules did not discuss gender. It was not until 1972 that marathon organizers officially announced women were allowed to participate in the Boston Marathon.