A couple of hours after clocking a personal-best time of 2:25:12, Anderson and Ross were celebrating with friends at a hotel pub when two bombs erupted near the finish line only a block or two away. Two people were killed, and more than 100 were injured, according to initial reports.
Anderson and Ross didn’t hear the blast, although others with them did. But they witnessed the commotion afterward, which he described as utter chaos.
The famed marathon is known for its cheering throngs that line the 26.2-mile course, but the atmosphere quickly became somber as news of the tragedy spread.
“You’re walking along anywhere in Boston before this happened, and you have your medal on, and people are like, ‘Congrats, how did it go? Nice job,’ ” the 26-year-old Anderson said. “The whole community celebrates this. It’s Marathon Monday. The city shuts down for it.
“After the blast, everyone has downcast eyes, trying not to look at you. They’re almost embarrassed. The race became secondary to everything else.”
Anderson and Ross, who will wed Oct. 18, quickly let their families know they were OK and then made sure friends running in the race also were safe.
“Everyone is kind of in shock,” said Ross, who was known as the heart and soul of the UD team that made the program’s first NCAA tourney trip in 2010 and is currently the Flyers’ strength and conditioning coach. “You hear sirens and see all the emergency vehicles flying around. People are kind of going in every direction. You’re not really sure what to do. It’s frightening.”
Anderson, who currently manages a running store near his hometown of Milford, Mich., was the first Flyer to earn All-Atlantic 10 honors in men’s cross country four straight seasons (2005-09). He was running in only his third marathon and was laboring through most of it. But Ross helped him find another gear.
“Kendel is the best cheerleader and is more confident in me than I am,” he said. “She showed up at about mile 23 along the side of the road on a bike. She was behind the crowd, and I caught her eye. And the last 5K (3.1 miles) flew by because of that.
“That’s part of what attracted me to her in the first place. She’s got that leadership thing down.”
Anderson said he was getting teary while crossing the finish line as the 26th-fastest American, and Ross also was choking up as the two embraced.
“When you’re physically drained, all that’s left is raw emotion, and that’s what comes out,” she said.
“I know what it’s like to give everything you have for months. That’s what it was like when I was at Dayton trying to make the NCAA tournament. It’s definitely an overwhelming feeling. And I’m glad I could share that with him.”
Anderson’s goal is to make the 2016 Olympic trials and will need a time of 2:18 to qualify.
Ross, a native Canadian, was the first alternate on her national team in basketball in the 2012 Olympics in London.
“Every marathon, I learn something, and I think it’s going to pay off in the long run,” Anderson said.
He added: “I’ve got this Olympian (Ross) on my arm. I’ve got to live up to that, too, so the kids one day won’t think their dad was a chump.”
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