After Kenyan long distance runner Hyvon Ngetich (pictured) collapsed during the Austin marathon in the United States, she still ended up placing due to her persistence and hard work.
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On Saturday, Ngetich was poised to come in first place as she led the pack the entire way during the 26-mile marathon in Texas.
But just as she came 50 meters before the finish line, the 29-year-old collapsed.
Race organizers hurried to bring her a wheelchair, but Ngetich refused the help, instead crawling her way to the finish line.
In fact, Ngetich held such a strong lead before she collapsed that she finished the race with a time of 3:04:02.68, which was just two seconds shy of second place!
Of her feat, Austin Marathon Race Director Jon Conley said, “I’ve seen athletes wobble and fall; I’ve seen athletes crawl across the finish line. But that story of her going 26 miles, and then crawling the last 450 feet or so — never seen anything like it.”
Echoing Conley, marathon organizers were so impressed with Ngetich’s spirit that they awarded her with second place prize money.
After the race, Ngetich said, “Running, always, you have to keep going, going.”
She also said that she has no memory of the last 2 kilometers of the race.
Watch Hyvon Ngetich’s resilience here:
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