As he was approaching the finish line of Sunday's London Marathon, 29-year-old Matthew Rees came upon a fellow marathoner whose legs just wouldn't let him finish, and in an instant decided helping his fellow runner was more important than his own time.
"I took the final corner thinking 'right, it's nearly done, time to sprint', and I saw this guy and his legs just crumbled below him."I saw him try to stand up again and his legs just went down again, and I thought 'this is more important, getting him across the line is more important than shaving a few seconds off my time'.
“I went over to try and help him and, every time he tried to get up, he just fell down again and again, so I just tried to cheer him on, picked him up and said, ‘Come on, we can do this’. He was really grateful, but he wasn’t very coherent.”
As the crowd cheered, Rees put the man's arm around his neck and helped him cross the finish line.
?? This is incredible! Swansea Harrier Matthew Rees helps a struggling runner cross the line at the #LondonMarathon pic.twitter.com/Fg83sBfpoo
— BBC Wales News (@BBCWalesNews) April 23, 2017
Rees shared the experience with ITV Wales News.
Swansea Harrier Matthew Rees told ITV News about the moment he stopped to help another runner before the finish line of the London Marathon. pic.twitter.com/ACWC6kh3SZ
— ITV Wales News (@ITVWales) April 23, 2017
In our fast-paced world we often overlook those who are struggling right in front of us, whose legs are just crumbling below them. Thank you, Matthew Rees, for this poignant reminder that helping another "across the line" is more important than shaving a few seconds off our own time.