Marathons are not for the faint of heart, nor the faint of lungs. You might think you’re up for it, but then your lungs will remind you halfway through that this might be too much.
I have a ton of respect for people who do compete in them. Make sure you stretch a lot before you do one!
This story though, is about someone who could’ve finished the race sooner but chose not to.
There are people who are well in-shape to run a marathon, and marines are definitely some of those people. Military training is some of the toughest out there. They’ll make you do pushup after pushup, course after course, and they’ll make you do it regularly.
A marine is thus well-prepared to run something like a marathon race.
Lance Corporal Myles Kerr was a 19-year-old marine who joined a 5k marathon.
As the name implies, a 5k marathon is 5 kilometers of running you have to do.
And 5 kilometers is a lot to run on foot. I get pretty winded just running for half a kilometer. 5 kilometers is definitely not a distance you should attempt without a lot of preparation and training.
Myles, thanks to his training, was even able to wear boots and a ruck sack while he ran.
While Myles and the other marines with him could handle this just fine, one other runner couldn’t.
It was 9-year-old Brandon Fuchs. The boy joined the race as part of a group. However, he got separated from the group as the race progressed. He was now quite far behind and struggling to finish the race.
It just so happened that Myles caught sight of the boy.
Brandon then spoke the words “Sir? Will you please run with me?”, so Myles slowed down and ran alongside him.
The other marines with him had already ran far ahead and had no idea what Myles was doing. They even feared that he might have bitten off more than he could chew with the race, and that he might have come down with fatigue or an injury.
Thankfully, the real story was a lot more pleasant. But they wouldn’t know it until the pair made it to the finish line.
They both finished the race, but Myles did give up the lead he worked hard to get.
That didn’t matter to him though. This boy needed him, and that mattered a whole lot more.
Of course, a gesture like that is too compassionate to go unnoticed. Someone snapped a photo of Myles with Brandon. It was posted to SEAL of Honor on Facebook, and Myles’ moment got over 200,000 likes.
Myles’ actions meant a lot to then 9-year-old Brandon. But the marine didn’t think it was a big deal.
After his little moment went viral, Myles tweeted that he “was just doing what any man would do”. Indeed, it takes a man to give up his advantages and lift up the ones who’re struggling to get there.
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