Girl Jumps Into Marathon to Support Her Mother

10-Year-Old Girl Jumps From Sidelines to Help Struggling Marathoner Mom Finish the Race

By Regina Sienra on September 19, 2023

Girl joins marathon race to support mom and run and in hand

Photo: Screenshot from Instagram

Whether it's a 5k or a marathon, competing in a race is no easy feat. It can take months of preparation. And on the big day, even the most experienced runners can struggle in the final stretch due to exhaustion. This was the case for a woman named Courtney who, struggling to make it to the finish line, got the strength she needed to make it to the end in a heartwarming gesture from her young daughter.

The sweet moment was fortunately captured on video, spotlighting this unique mother-daughter moment. In the clip, 10-year-old Avery spots her mom almost giving up, despite being only a few feet away from the finish line. Determined, the girl jumps to her side to support her. Upon seeing her, Courtney's face lights up, and the two run in hand in hand for the last stretch of the race.

Courtney, a self-taught baker, described this as “a moment I hope neither of us ever forget.” The mom of two recalled how her daughter first learned she was struggling to finish the race. “She knew I had struggled the last few miles,” Courtney wrote in the video captions. “She heard tears in my eyes when I called on mile 24.”

While she has documented the love she and her daughter have for each other on social media, Avery's inspiring gesture took her by surprise. “Nothing could have prepared me for the moment my 10-year-old daughter would jump out of the crowd and run me in to the finish line,” Courtney admits. As if the action wasn't powerful enough, the loving mom shared how her daughter held her as she recovered after the race. “She held me!” the baker exclaimed.

This appears to be far from being the first time Courtney has found inspiration in her kids. In fact, one of her children’s first birthday is what kickstarted her baking business. “I didn’t bake my first cake from scratch until I was 26, when my son turned one. It looked like a big brown mound with sprinkles and a candle—honestly, a train-wreck, but it tasted delicious and I was hooked!” she explains on her website.

Ultimately, this innocent encounter is a testament of how kids can inspire their parents to go the extra mile—quite literally. While finishing the race is an accomplishment on its own, the true trophy lies in the pride Avery felt for her mom once everything was over. For Courtney, her daughter's action was the “best moment of [her] race.”