At Saturday's Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon in Washington, D.C., Simon Rakoff camped out near the end to watch wife, Jodi, finish. "As I waited with camera in hand for that shot of my wife finishing her first race since [knee] surgery I saw something that brought me to tears," Rakoff told Runner's World Newswire via email.

"As I watched the runners round the final turn some 200 meters off one young man caught my eye," Rakoff wrote. "He was in a bright yellow shirt and moving with a unique gait. Each stride appeared to be slightly wider than the last. As he got closer I noticed that he was slowing down. At first I figured he was exhausted and uncomfortable, but when his face became visible I noticed that he was expressionless--there was no indication of happiness to see the finish line nor was there the slightest bit of a grimace. His stride continued to widen and his pace slowed to the point where he was barely walking forward.

"I'm a former firefighter and paramedic and I'd seen this kind of facial expression and body language before," noted Rakoff. "I realized that he was on the verge of unconsciousness and that at any moment he was going to collapse, right here in front of me, seconds away from the finish line. It also occurred to me that there was not another runner within 20 feet of him. As I was thinking about how I would jump the fence and get to him before he hit the ground he came to a complete stop and started falling backwards, out of nowhere, another runner got to him, caught him as he began to fall backwards and, with the assistance of two race staffers who showed up within a few seconds, took him across the finish line.



"The last couple hundred feet of a marathon may be one of the toughest times to stay focused on the bigger picture," Rakoff wrote. "It's a moment when several hours of serious exertion, and many months of diligent preparation are coming to fruition. With PRs on the brain and the common phenomenon of tunnel vision it is understandable that athletes could be all about finishing at this moment, and completely unaware of anyone or anything around them other than the finish line.

"But not this hero in green. He showed incredible awareness and compassion at this critical moment. His actions inspired me in a way unlike anything I had ever seen on the sidelines of a marathon before. His selflessness and concern for his fellow competitors sets a powerful example and reminds me that the decisions we make in a split second are the ones that say the most about who we are and what we value. There's probably a very good chance that these two will never meet or even know each other's names. Whoever the mystery man in green is, you exemplify the spirit of a warrior. I salute you."

Update: The runner in green is Michael Stefanon of Manassas, Virginia. The runner in yellow is Ryan Gregg of Ann Arbor, Michigan. We've been in touch with both and will publish their take on the incident on Tuesday.

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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