Finishing a marathon is a feat of endurance, but no matter the strain some refuse to be beaten by the mileage. Count Kenyan female runner Hyvon Ngetich among those strong-hearted people.
Ngetich was running on fumes as she neared the end of the Austin Marathon, but even when her legs ceased to be able to run, she managed to cross the finish line. With 50 meters to go, Ngetich dropped to her hands and knees and crawled across.
"I was like winning, you know. I was 500 [meters] in front. I looked back and I didn't see anybody," Ngetich told KTBC. "For the last two kilometers, I don't remember."
Race Director John Conley, who has more than 40 years experience in long-distance running, said Ngetich's unorthodox finish was the first of its kind he had ever seen.
"When she came around the corner on her hands and knees, I have never, in 43 years of being involved in this sport, have seen a finish like that," Conley said. Ngetich was helped along by the support of the Austin crowd, although she had to power through it herself-if she received any help she'd be disqualified.
"They saw that spirit and that hard-wired athletic commitment to get to the finish," Conley said. [Ngetich] finished without any help and got a very honorable third place."
Ngetich hasn't been deterred from the Austin Marathon after her rough finish, and has reportedly vowed to come back in 2016 and win it.
[KTBC]
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