The Boston Athletic Association said the Boston Marathon finish line can become a shared point of relief when runners stop for one another, even when the race is still moving quickly around them.
In one episode reported from Monday’s running of the iconic event, Ajay Haridasse was close to the end when his legs “gave out,” leaving him unable to get up. As other racers passed, two fellow competitors, Robson De Oliveira and Aaron Beggs, stopped and intervened—lifting Haridasse and carrying him about 1,000 feet (305 meters) to the finish line, according to the Associated Press account of what unfolded.
Pete Grasso, who was watching the race, recorded what he described as the standout moment when De Oliveira and Beggs picked Haridasse up and brought him forward. Grasso said the two runners 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,” adding that putting everything aside to help another athlete looked difficult to do. He also said the crowd responded by cheering for the pair and for the effort to bring the runner across.
De Oliveira and Beggs’ effort also resonated beyond the immediate finish-line moment. The North Down Athletic Club in Northern Ireland, where Beggs is a member, hailed his actions in an email to highlight his “incredible actions shown at the Boston Marathon,” noting that he had already endured 26 miles by the time the incident occurred and calling him “an honest gentleman.”
A similar scene played out later in the race when Lan Nguyen of Washington, D.C., struggled toward the finish. Fellow racers Jessica Kier, Meredith Rosenberg of Boston and William Bara-Jimenez of Bethesda, Maryland, stopped to help her as the runners approached the end of the course—at one point carrying her part of the way before Nguyen “scooted across” the finish line.
Rosenberg, who was on pace for a personal best at the time, said she spotted Nguyen around mile 25 and added that Nguyen “clearly could not walk.” Rosenberg said medics were trying to get Nguyen into a wheelchair, but that she and the other runners decided to carry Nguyen the rest of the way while passing cheering volunteers near the finish. After Nguyen was placed in the wheelchair after finishing, Rosenberg said the four helpers hugged.
In remarks reported by the AP, Jack Fleming, president and CEO of the Boston Athletic Association, said the actions of De Oliveira, Beggs, Kier, Rosenberg and Bara-Jimenez reflected a common denominator in marathon running: athletes checking on one another, bonding with strangers for part of the race, and helping competitors reach the end. Fleming said, “No marathon is easy. There’s no fooling this distance,” and described the kindness as something his organization sees not only in Boston but “around the world,” with the Boston Marathon experience offering a close view of it.