Why We Run: A documentary on the story of the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon

In the quiet of an early morning, thousands gather in downtown Oklahoma City each spring — not just to race, but to remember.

What began as a simple training run between friends has grown into a powerful tradition honoring the 168 lives lost in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. The News 9 documentary Why We Run captures the emotional origin of the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon and the mission that has carried it forward for more than two decades: to heal, to honor, and to never forget.

The documentary premieres on Tuesday, April 6 at 6:00 p.m.

How the marathon began

“Well, it’s an interesting story because Chet Collier and I were training for what would be my first marathon,” co-founder Thomas Hill said. “I was ranting about the fact that we had to go to another city to run a marathon… [Chet] just stopped in his tracks and he said, ‘Fine, we’ll put on a marathon here.’ But it has to be for the memorial.”

That moment marked the beginning of what would become the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. As the co-founders continued their run that day, they envisioned an event that would take runners through historic parts of the city and finish at the Oklahoma City National Memorial, with each mile dedicated to remembrance.

WATCH OUR FULL SPECIAL: Run To Remember

“Quite frankly, by the time we finished that run, we had talked through all the things that really make the Memorial Marathon what it is,” Hill said. “The idea of honoring the people who had fallen in the bombing and putting their names along the course — all of that happened on that run.”

Held each spring around the anniversary of the bombing, the race brings thousands of runners and spectators into Oklahoma City. But Why We Run makes clear that the event is more than a race.

“There really gets to be a question really quickly — what do you do with that?” Collier said. “How do we process that? How do we grieve? How do we heal? How do we honor these people?”

A race rooted in remembrance

Throughout the documentary, runners reflect on the emotional weight of the experience.

“Seeing the signs, seeing all the names was truly emotional,” one runner said.

Another added, “This one really, it feels like Oklahoma just kind of comes together for one. It’s one big event.”

The film also highlights how the marathon connects generations and keeps memories alive.

“You have to share it with the next generation,” U.S. Rep. Stephanie Bice said. “Now, I’m the mother of two daughters, 24 and 20. They don’t remember. They don’t know. And so it’s really incumbent upon those of us that lived in Oklahoma City and lived through that moment to share that experience with them. So we never forget it.”

The bombing on April 19, 1995, killed 168 people and injured hundreds more. Thousands were affected, and the city’s healing process is reflected in every mile of the course.

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“When I see the starting line and the enormous crowd of people… when we’re all there, having that 168 seconds of silence, I’m just grateful,” co-founder David Hill said. “I’m grateful that people are remembering. I’m grateful that people are thinking about these people who lost their lives and their families. I’m just really grateful.”

Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt also emphasized the importance of remembering.

“Oklahoma City continues to honor those who were killed and those who survived and those who were changed forever,” Holt said, “but also that we kind of carry the message… to a nation and the world, which understandably tends to forget history a little bit.”

That message—of service, honor, and kindness in the face of tragedy—is known as the Oklahoma Standard, a legacy that continues through every runner, every mile, and every memory kept alive by the marathon.

For more information on the Oklahoma Standard, click here: https://www.news9.com/ok-standard    

The full documentary, Why We Run, is now available on News 9’s YouTube channel.

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