Adviser at the Boston Marathon relives 911 emotions

Financial adviser Robert Henderson proudly cheered for his younger brother at mile 20 of the Boston Marathon yesterday, promising that he, his wife and two young children would meet the first-time marathoner in the finish area. Running to raise funds for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, his 37-year-old brother Erik was fulfilling a goal pledged two decades ago when the pair used to watch the race together every year growing up near Hopkinton, Mass., where the 26.2-mile race begins. However, a mile from the end, the race, which Erik had trained three months for, was halted as a result of two explosions close to the finish line that claimed the lives of three people and injured about 140 runners, volunteers and spectators. Following news of the explosions, Mr. Henderson, who is president of Landsdowne Wealth Management LLC in Mystic, Conn., sent his family back to their car in the Boston outskirts and he continued into downtown on the subway as far as it would take him, to Fenway Park about two miles from the finish line. “Walking through the city trying to find him felt so much like 911,” said Mr. Henderson, who lived in New York with his wife when terrorist attacks took down the World Trade Center towers. “It was such a similar, somber mood, with people crying and not a lot of other noise.” He eventually made it to a series of buses about four blocks from the finish that marathon organizers provide for runners to store their bags and other belongings during the race. Erik, who lives in Jacksonville, Fla., showed up an hour later. Neither of them have plans to run another marathon, but both brothers were impressed with the number of Boston residents coming out of their brownstones to offer food, warmer clothing to runners and other assistance. In fact, more than 8,000 people offered to house those runners and other people who were stuck in Boston after the explosions essentially closed down the city. The offers came through a Google Doc set up within a couple hours of the explosions. Financial companies around Boston now are considering how they can assist those who have been affected. For instance, the charity board of Commonwealth Financial Network met today to discuss ways of helping those in need, Wayne Bloom, chief executive of Commonwealth, wrote in an e-mail. Commonwealth had both staff and advisers running the race yesterday and all were accounted for and safe, he said. Some financial services firms and other businesses in a 15-block area surrounding Copley Square evacuated their offices and then stayed closed yesterday. Those along a one-mile stretch of Boylston Street, including a Wells Fargo office, had to remain closed today.