BOSTON (AP) — During Monday’s Boston Marathon, runner Ajay Haridasse collapsed near the finish line when his body gave out. Two fellow competitors, Robson De Oliveira from Brazil and Aaron Beggs from Britain, stopped their own races to lift Haridasse and carry him approximately 1,000 feet to complete the course.
The inspiring moments occurred as thousands of other participants continued past the struggling runner. Instead of focusing solely on their own finish times, De Oliveira and Beggs hoisted Haridasse onto their shoulders and helped him reach the end of the prestigious race.
Spectator Pete Grasso captured the remarkable act of kindness on video as the two runners assisted Haridasse.
“The coolest part about this moment was that these two guys were less than a tenth of a mile away, in the middle of a really, really fast race, and still stopped to help a fellow runner who needed some help. That’s not easy to do,” Grasso said in an email interview. “Seeing them put everything aside in that moment just to get another runner across the line was incredible. And hearing the crowd respond, cheering for them, supporting them, truly gave me chills.”
Another touching display occurred when Washington, D.C. runner Lan Nguyen faced difficulty reaching the finish. Three other participants — Jessica Kier from Snohomish, Washington, Meredith Rosenberg from Boston, and William Bara-Jimenez from Bethesda, Maryland — stepped in to assist her. The group carried Nguyen for portions of the final stretch before she crawled across the finish line herself.
The Boston Athletic Association, which organizes the marathon, released a statement praising how participants supported struggling competitors at “the most historic finish line in all of road racing on Boylston Street.”
“The uplifting spirit of the running community to help one another, especially in times of need, is on full display on Patriots’ Day — not just at the finish, but all along the race route,” the organization stated. Officials reported that 29,101 of the 29,470 registered participants completed the race.
