Runners praised for helping exhausted man finish marathon
Two runners have received acclaim for assisting a fatigued competitor to complete the Boston Marathon after he collapsed just before the finish line.
Aaron Beggs was the first to stop, only yards from the finish, to lift Ajay Haridasse off the ground after he had fallen and was unable to rise.
With Haridasse still struggling to remain upright, runner Robson De Oliveira also halted, and together they supported Haridasse by putting their arms around him to help him cross the finish line.
Beggs, a member of North Down Athletic Club in Northern Ireland, was praised by his club as a "superstar" who "couldn't pass an athlete in distress."
"What a gentleman! What a phenomenal sportsman. Our Aaron Beggs," the club stated in a social media post.
The incident was captured on video by several spectators who witnessed Haridasse fall shortly after the 26-mile (41.8 km) mark.
The footage depicts a weakened Haridasse making multiple attempts to stand while onlookers shouted words of encouragement.
Dozens of runners passed the struggling athlete until Aaron Beggs, wearing a yellow and blue North Down Athletic Club vest, stopped to assist.
Beggs extended both hands to help Haridasse up but found it difficult to steady the exhausted runner.
Subsequently, Robson De Oliveira—who was on pace to achieve his fastest-ever marathon time—also paused his race to help Beggs support Haridasse across the finish line.
The pair’s selfless actions, which involved sacrificing their own race times, elicited cheers from the crowd lining the finishing stretch.
Multiple spectators recorded the event from different angles and shared the videos on social media.
At the time of writing, one of these posts has garnered over 2 million views on X.
'Our superstar'
North Down Athletic Club paid tribute to their Good Samaritan on social media.
"Our superstar on the finishing straight at Boston marathon to a time of 2hr44 couldn't pass an athlete in distress," the club wrote.
"What a gentleman! What a phenomenal sportsman. Our Aaron Beggs."
In an interview with the Boston Herald, Haridasse said:
"After falling down the fourth time, I was getting ready to crawl."
He expressed gratitude to his rescuers, particularly acknowledging that De Oliveira had likely sacrificed a personal best time to assist him.
"If he didn't help me, that would have been his fastest race ever," Haridasse said.
On Instagram, De Oliveira explained that he saw Haridasse collapse near the end but realized he did not have "the strength to help him on my own."
"In that moment, I thought, 'God, if someone stops, I'll stop too and help him'."
De Oliveira commended Beggs for stopping, stating:
"I knew I could help, because two are stronger than one."
Beggs also posted on Instagram, recognizing De Oliveira's "selfless commitment to put others before yourself" and calling him a "true star."
