Near the end of the Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon in Savannah, Georgia, on Saturday, marathon runner Robert McCoy toppled over. He had exhausted his body, pushed it to the limit and now was struggling to finish the 13.1-mile race.
Luckily for him, a local police officer was there to help him finish the race. According to the Savannah-Chatham Metro Police Department, Sergeant John Cain helped runner McCoy after he fell about 200 yards before the half-marathon's finish line.
SCMPD said McCoy suffered some cuts on his face and his legs because of the fall, but made it to the finish line with Cain's help.
“I went over to help render aid and he kept saying, ‘I’ve got to finish the race.’ I asked him if he wanted me to help him and he said yes," Cain said in a press release.
Cain, who has been with the department for 27 years, praised the runner's resilience. "I am just glad I was in a position to help him do that. He in an inspiration to me, he is the hero in this story," he said.
Whether it's the New York City Marathon or the Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon in Savannah, runners will test themselves and push their threshold for pain. Sometimes, it helps to have a hand to pick you up whenever you fall.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article misidentified the race as a marathon. McCoy raced in the Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon on Nov. 7, not a full marathon.
Also on HuffPost:
