Running the Marathon: A Conversation with Tom Grilk

Tom Grilk is a lawyer who began his career in private practice at a major Boston law firm, then worked as in-house counsel at several area tech companies, and, from 2011 until 2022, served as President and CEO of the Boston Athletic Association, the non-profit organization that runs the Boston Marathon. Tom was in that position on April 15, 2013, the day that two bombs exploded at the marathon, immediately killing three people and injuring many more.

In this episode of Higher Callings, Tom and I discuss his career path, the work and mission of the BAA, the history of the Boston Marathon, and the events of that tragic day. His story of how, in 2013, lives were saved by the emergency preparedness of the BAA and all of the agencies, hospitals, healthcare teams, and law enforcement officials responsible for public safety at the event, as well as by the heroics of strangers and passersby who ran towards danger to help the wounded, is both fascinating and inspiring. It’s a lesson in the importance of emergency preparedness, and in the virtues of kindness and self-sacrifice and the nobility of the human spirit.

Tom's essay published in Boston Magazine on the 10th anniversary of the 2013 Marathon bombing can be found here.