Yesterday we posted the photo above, taken by Simon Rakoff at Saturday's Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon in Washington, D.C. Rakoff described waiting for his wife to finish when he saw the runner in yellow about to collapse near the finish; then he saw the runner in green catch the other runner and help him across the finish. Rakoff's image struck a chord, receiving more than 5,600 Facebook likes in less than 18 hours.

The runners in the photo are no longer anonymous. The runner in yellow is Ryan Gregg, 32, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the runner in green is Michael Stefanon, 44, of Manassas, Virginia. Stefanon was running his third marathon; his PR is 3:59:50. Saturday's race was Gregg's second marathon. His chip time of 4:10:14 there is his PR. Below are their memories of the event.

Approaching the Finish

Gregg: My goal was to run 3:50. I felt great the first half of the marathon, and good up until 20 miles when I felt myself beginning to slow. By mile 23 I knew I was toast. My legs were just dead and I would've definitely quit if it wasn't for the fact that my wife and kids were at the finish line. It was the first time my kids had seen me in a marathon and I didn't want to disappoint them. They're 3 and 5 years oId and I didn't want them to think Dad was a quitter.

The last half mile coming up along the side of the stadium I keep running, slowly, though I was spending more energy staying upright than moving forward. Somewhere in the last half mile I must have started to pass out. I can't really remember seeing any part of the finish. All I remember is how loud the crowd got around that last corner. I could hear them yelling to finish and I realized at that point they were yelling at me. That really helped keep me going.

Stefanon: I had first seen the runner in distress when I was about 200 yards away from the finish line. He was about 50 yards or so in front of me. I was experiencing severe cramping in both of my calves, and thought I could certainly pass him. But when I came closer, I realized that he was in a bad way.



The Save

Gregg: The last few things I remember were stumbling side to side, then almost taking a step back to keep my balance and someone grabbing me from behind and stopping me from falling flat on my back. They told me something about how I was going to finish and kept pushing me forward.

Stefanon: The closer I got to him, the worse his condition appeared. At the point of me passing him, he began to flail backwards. That’s when I knew he needed my help. I said, “We are going to do this together.” He was expressionless and unresponsive. We were together for about 15 yards before the two of us crossed the finish line.



The Aftermath

Gregg: I recall someone putting the finisher medal on my neck, and next thing I knew I was on a cot in the medical tent.

Stefanon: We were quickly separated, as he was receiving medical attention. We did not speak other than when he was first placed in the wheelchair. I told him that he did a great job and that I was proud of him.



Gregg: To be honest, I am missing a decent part of the story because I passed out, but I had some fluids, blood tests, and an IV, and after about an hour I was good to go. Walked over to the subway and I went and got lunch with my family. I actually felt better the next day than after my prior marathon.





Parting Thought

Stefanon: That experience reminds me of something very similar that I preach to my boys at bedtime when we are saying our prayers. We ask that we can be touched in a way that we may help others in need, and put others before ourselves. I feel as though I was the fortunate one in this instance, as my two sons (5 and 8) were able to see the entire event unfold before their eyes.

Scott Douglas Scott is a veteran running, fitness, and health journalist who has held senior editorial positions at Runner’s World and Running Times.

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