EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — Israel Rivera of El Paso is gaining national attention after a selfless moment at Monday’s Boston Marathon went viral.
Rivera was closing in on a personal goal when he saw another runner collapse just short of the finish line.
Rivera, who was on track to finish in under three hours, stopped to help Jonathan Adams to his feet and began walking him to the end.
As they got closer to the finish, Adams’ legs gave out, leaving Rivera and another runner, Henco Visser, to carry him across the line.
“I’m like, Jonathan, put your arm around my neck. I was like, We’re gonna finish this race together. I was like, We’ve come too far, we’re almost done,” Rivera said.
Rivera said he was not focused on his finishing time after stopping to help.
“And I couldn’t really, to be honest here, I care less about what ended up happening with my time and really just being human, right?” Rivera said.
Rivera said the moment became about something bigger than the race itself, showing that sometimes the best finish is helping someone else reach theirs.
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