BOSTON — A runner from Northern Ireland who assisted in carrying a collapsed competitor across the Boston Marathon finish line Thursday described his decision as pure instinct, despite battling his own exhaustion during the challenging race.
Aaron Beggs explained in a Thursday interview that he had been pushing through his own physical struggles by thinking about members of his running club who may never have the opportunity to participate in such a prestigious event.
“If I had to go farther, I would have,” Beggs stated. “It’s fight or flight, and I decided to fight and help him get to our destination.”
The dramatic rescue unfolded Monday when Ajay Haridasse, a Massachusetts resident and Northeastern University student, collapsed approximately 1,000 feet before reaching the finish line. Beggs, along with Brazilian runner Robson De Olivera, immediately stepped in to assist.
“Then when I came down and up towards Boylston Street, the crowd started cheering and I just turned the corner and happened to see Ajay fall,” Beggs recalled. “I looked at my watch, and I looked at him again, and the natural instinct was just to go and pick him up.”
The Northern Ireland runner described the marathon experience as fundamentally different from shorter competitive races, emphasizing the collaborative spirit among participants.
“We were shaking hands as we were running, and was like, ‘We’ve got this. Let’s do this together,’” he explained. “It’s not like in shorter races where you’re head-to-head trying to beat people. In the marathon, you’re cheering each other on and encouraging everybody.”
The rescue has captured widespread attention through viral video footage. Beggs reported staying in contact with Haridasse and expressed hope to reconnect with De Olivera as well. Remarkably, their combined finishing time met qualification standards for next year’s marathon.
“Three strangers, three different countries, and we’ll have a story for the rest of our lives,” Beggs reflected. “We all need just a nice story in our lives, just to make us smile, bring a tear to your eye with happiness. And it’s nice to be nice.”
