Former Boston Marathon executive shares how Boston, OKC responded in face of tragedy

Tom Grilk wouldn’t be who he is without the Boston Marathon, nor would the marathon be what it is without Tom Grilk. 

The 76-year-old, now an emeritus member on the marathon’s board of governors, has been involved with the famed 26.2 mile race for more than four decades. 

Grilk recently retired from his role as CEO of the Boston Athletic Association, which he held for 11 years. Before that, starting in 1979, Grilk was a Boston Marathon finish line announcer. 

Grilk, a business lawyer once upon a time, got into running to manage his stress. After twice failing to qualify for the Boston Marathon, Grilk ultimately ran the race three times in the 1970s. 

“And then almost by accident became a finish line announcer, which, as you might imagine, is much easier than running,” Grilk said. 

Grilk was there for the Boston Marathon’s darkest day, when two bombs exploded at the finish line on race day 2013. Three people were killed. 

Last month, Grilk spoke at the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum on the bond between Boston and Oklahoma City — a pair of cities, 1,700 miles apart, that responded with strength in the face of tragedy. 

Grilk and Kari Watkins, the executive director of the OKC National Memorial & Museum, have gotten to know each other through the years as marathon administrators. 

Ahead of this weekend’s Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, The Oklahoman caught up with Grilk over the phone from his home in Lynnfield, Massachusetts. 

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Q: What message did you share about the parallels between Boston and Oklahoma City? What were some of the similarities in how the two cities came together amid tragedy?

Grilk: “Certainly at the highest level of abstraction, the two cities share the very, very unfortunate distinction of being the only two cities in the U.S. to have confronted a terrorist bombing in recent years. And the real parallel that I was focused on was the resilience that the population of the two cities have displayed over a period of time — at the time of the tragedy and thereafter. 

“In Oklahoma City, there we were at the museum, which is a testament to the resilience of the city in both looking back to the horror of what happened and focusing on what it takes to move forward in the face of something as horrible as that.

“Certainly the scope of tragedy in Oklahoma City was far greater than what we faced here. I don’t suppose one can assign different levels of gravity to tragedy, but three people died here on that day, a fourth died a few days later and a fifth died sometime after that. In Oklahoma City, 168 people died. 

“In both places, what one reflects on is how horrible something was but then how strong people were. In Oklahoma City people ran into the building, ran toward the explosion to try to help. In Boston, the same thing happened. There were two explosions, and at that point the sensible thing to do is to get away. But there were people who ran back toward the explosions to help, to provide life-saving first aid. 

“In Boston, we made every effort to be prepared for trouble and tragedy if it came. We had spent the preceding two years preparing for a mass casualty event at the finish line, hoping that would never happen, but knowing that it could. Whether it might be someone with firearms, or explosives, or gas or some kind of natural disaster, whatever it might be. Aided by federal funds we conducted two 24-hour live-fire-sounding exercises with police and other public safety officials running around with weapons, firing them on occasion. Ambulances screaming around, hospitals standing by to practice.

“Sadly, that practice had to be put in effect. The response was immediate. All the public safety people and the hospitals responded immediately, and then a lot of other people were just there, whether they’re spectators or runners going back to help or people who lived nearby stepping up to provide the initial life-saving support before the formal first responders could even get there. Without that, more people would’ve died. The early strength and resilience continued thereafter in Boston, and you folks have continued to see it in Oklahoma City.” 

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Q: Had you ever visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum before speaking there last month? 

Grilk: “It was an altogether new experience. I had communicated with Kari (Watkins) over the years just as two people who were responsible for large marathons, but had never been there. She sent me a note and said, ‘Hey, now you’re retired. Get out here.’ So I went. 

“There are certain people that when they speak, you do as you’re told. I was very, very pleased to have that opportunity. For my wife and me, it was an arresting opportunity and experience.” 

Q: What did you learn about Oklahoma City while you were here?

Grilk: “I learned that it was, has been, is a place that responds collectively to challenge, crisis, tragedy in a way to which probably many other places could only aspire. The whole city came together instantly … the museum stands as testament to the strength, the resilience, the commitment to people who live there. To remember what happened and to carry forward in a way that honors the memory of all those whose lives were lost or who were so terribly and adversely affected.” 

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Q: Since the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon is a qualifying race for the Boston Marathon, what did you share with folks here about running in the Boston Marathon?

Grilk: “I did have a chance to speak to a number of people who were going to be running in the Boston Marathon, which took place earlier this week. I told them most of all, enjoy it. Take it in. Have some fun with it. Don’t necessarily try to run your fastest race, it’s a very difficult course, it’s got a lot of hills in it. The last five miles have a lot of downhill in it which really, really hurts your upper thighs. Don’t go too hard in the beginning because you won’t enjoy the end. 

“And the finish line in Boston, unlike any other major marathon in the world, is right on a great, big downtown street. You’re running into an urban canyon full of screaming people who are cheering for you. That last 670 or so yards is something one should be able to savor and experience rather than stumble through exhausted. I’ve tried it stumbling through exhausted, and that’s not the way to do it. 

“I congratulated them on their accomplishment in getting there. Sometimes the hardest thing about the Boston Marathon is getting to the starting line.” 

OKC Memorial Marathon

A highlighted look at next weekend’s schedule:

SATURDAY: Memorial 5K (7 a.m.), Senior marathon (8 a.m.), Kids marathon (9 a.m.)

SUNDAY: Marathon, Half Marathon and Relay races start at 6:30 a.m.