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Half a mile from the finish line at the Boston Marathon, Saline resident Paul Renberg was waiting to meet up with his wife, Kathy, after her successful completion of the race. Paul and his daughters Elise, 12, and Karissa, 16, had snapped a picture of Kathy at the 26-mile mark and were waiting to congratulate her on her first Boston Marathon Monday.
Excitement quickly turned to fear when the Renbergs heard an explosion in the distance. Smoke rose from the area of Kathy’s last known whereabouts and Paul feared the worst.
Saline resident Kathy Renberg, far right, at the 26-mile point of the 2013 Boston Marathon. Renberg finished 20 minutes before an explosion killed at least two and injured at least 132 at the finish line on Monday, April 15.
Photo courtesy of Paul Renberg
About five minutes later, a frightened Kathy came around the corner and the Renbergs made their way back to their downtown hotel room. Kathy is one of 60 Washtenaw County residents registered for the race, including two others from Saline and 50 from Ann Arbor. None of the 60 have been reported among those killed or injured by the explosions.
Paul Renberg said the explosion was startling.
“It was unlike anything I’ve ever heard,” Paul said. “It was loud, and we could see the cloud of smoke."
The Renbergs made their way back to their room at Westin Copley Place, just 161 meters from the explosion that according to the Associated Press killed at least two people and injured at least 132.
Back in Ann Arbor, Kathy and Paul's son, Nick Renberg, a Saline High School alumnus and current member of the University of Michigan men’s track and field team, scrambled to get an update from his parents.
Nick’s teammates asked him if he had reached out to his family when they ran into him on campus and that was the first he heard of the tragedy. Nick quickly scrambled to get ahold of his family. Just as there was for his father and sisters, Nick had some tense moments of uncertainty as his calls to his mother and father wouldn’t go through. He said he called about 20 times before finally finding out from his father that everyone was all right.
The Associated Press reported earlier that cellphone service was shut down in the Boston area to prevent any possible remote detonations of explosives, citing a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing. That report has since been refuted.
Paul said he’s been flooded with texts and emails checking on Kathy since news of the tragedy broke.
Kathy, 50, has competed in two Detroit Marathons, but this was her first time ever running in Boston. Kathy crossed the finish line at the three hour, 49 minute point of the race, 20 minutes before the explosions.
Kathy declined to comment for the story.
“She ran a very good race but is very shaken up by what happened,” Paul said.
The Renbergs are scheduled to return home on Tuesday and have yet to hear if their flight will be delayed. The Federal Aviation Administration put a temporary ground stop on inbound flights to Logan International Airport, but lifted the ban around 6 p.m. on Monday.
-- The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Pete Cunningham covers sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at petercunningham@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @petcunningham.