On the run
For the 14th year in a row, Duxbury resident Tom Meagher, 65, will supervise the Boston Marathon’s finish line.
What does the finish line coordinator do? I organize the security, the television crews, the photographers, the medical personnel, the drug testers, the race sponsors, and the time clocks at the finish.
You’re typically the first person to talk to the winners. What do you say? It varies, but usually I say congratulations and ask them if they’re OK. They’ve just finished an exhausting race and have to turn around to go to the awards ceremony and get interviewed. I try to help them get composed, so I tell them to take a sip of water and to take a deep breath. Sometimes I say welcome to Boston, because the Marathon starts in Hopkinton.
You’ve seen roughly 250,000 people cross the finish line. What’s your most memorable moment? It’s wonderful to see the winners finish, but what sticks in my mind are the average people who come across that line having run three, four, or even five hours. There are so many faces coming at you. I see a lot of emotion. I see people who may be running for Dana-Farber, running for someone in their family. I see crying. I see elation – just happiness. I can see how relieved they are that they finished and crossed that line. There are marriage proposals and people getting down on one knee.
Have you met any celebrities? Two years ago, I got to talk to Lance Armstrong. He told me how much he enjoyed himself and how wonderful the people were because they cheered for him. He said the Boston Marathon was a much better race than New York.
What advice do you have for runners training for their first Marathon? The first 10 miles appear to be pretty easy, but don’t let it go to your head. The last five might be painful. The most important thing about running the Marathon is finishing.
What do you do once the race is finished? When it’s all over, I find my way back to the Copley Hotel. I go to the hospitality suite, put my feet up, and have a cold beer.
