Runner Wins Marathon After Collapsing With Help of Other Athlete

Marathons can be nail-biting competitions where the winner crosses the finish line first by 0.01 seconds; or they can be displays of resilience where runners push through the pain (and other inconveniences) to complete the 26.2 miles. But more than often, they spotlight the goodwill of athletes to help one of their own. Such is the case of a then-17-year-old Ariana Luterman who helped runner Chandler Self win the Dallas Marathon in 2017 after the latter collapsed half a mile from the finish line.

Self was the women’s marathon leader when her legs gave out, causing her to fall to her knees. Meanwhile, Luterman was finishing the last leg of a relay. She had been assigned the final two miles out of 13 runners for being a senior at her high school and having participated twice before. This resulted in Self and Luterman being the only ones near the finish line at the moment.

When the teenager saw Self collapse, she instinctively went to her, helping her get up. Self fell three more times, but the young runner stayed by her side, lifting her up each time until Self crossed the finish line with a time of 2:53:58. Luterman carefully stood behind Self as she lunged for the tape, so there was no doubt who crossed first.

While Self was awarded the first place prize, many runners said they weren’t convinced with the result, as she got additional help in her quest. According to the organizers, Self won the race fairly, as the USA Track & Field (USATF) rules state that runners can be helped up by another person if they fall down. However, they can’t have assistance moving forward.

Looking back at the incident, Self told Runners World, “Runners know that you’re not supposed to get any outside assistance in a race. I know the rules of racing. I didn’t want Ariana to touch me. When she leaned down to help me up, I tried to throw her arm off of me, but I didn’t have any energy to push her away.” Still, Self doesn’t blame Luterman for helping her.

As for Luterman, she received worldwide praise for her act of kindness, which caused her team to finish in second place. “I didn’t even think twice,” she told Tribe Sports. “I would say anyone in my position would have done the same thing. There is a real camaraderie in running and such a sense of community in every group of runners around the world. There was no way I wasn’t going to help her.”

Luterman said she didn’t quite understand why people commended her for doing something anyone in her position would have done. “It wasn’t an innate thing that only I had the power to do— it’s just part of being human,” she said. “When someone falls down, you pick them up, dust them off and tell them let’s keep going!”