 -- A Virginia man celebrated Sunday after crossing the finish line to a race he started 50 days earlier.

Bill Hughes participated in the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10K last month, but never made it to the finish line after going into cardiac arrest about halfway through the race, according to ABC affiliate WRIC-TV.

The 60-year-old runner was immediately given CPR first from his daughter and then from bystanders.

“I feel like he grabbed my arm and then he hit the floor, hit the ground, face planted,” Hughes' daughter, Bethany Gordon, told WRIC-TV of his cardiac arrest.

In spite of the severity of his condition, Hughes survived after being rushed to the hospital. But rather than just give up on the 10K, Hughes said he didn't want to give up on completing the race.

“When I start to do something I want to finish it and I just felt bad that I hadn’t finished,” Hughes told WRIC-TV.

This weekend, Hughes decided to finish the race while drawing attention to the importance of learning CPR. He took to the same 10K course along with his daughter and others who helped him during his cardiac arrest. This time, Hughes finished to cheers and was even given a finisher medal.

Members of the Richmond Ambulance Authority joined in the run to encourage everyone to learn CPR and become a potential life-saver.

Hughes said he was motivated not just by his own story but by the death of his brother.

“I think back to five years ago when my brother died from a heart attack,” Hughes said. “If more people had of known how to do CPR back then, could he have been rescued?”