The men who sacrificed their race to help another Boston Marathon runner

Two men stopped their own race to help a fellow runner cross the finish line at this year's Boston Marathon.

Ajay Haridasse fell to the ground shortly after the 26th mile mark at the Boston Marathon on Monday.

Aaron Beggs pulled Mr Haridasse to his feet and was joined by Robson De Oliveira - the pair then put their arms around Mr Haridasse to support him to the finish.

"After falling down the fourth time, I was getting ready to crawl," Mr Haridasse told the Boston Herald. "Obviously the wheels kinda fell off at mile 26."

He said without Mr Beggs or Mr Oliveira, he would not have qualified for next year's Boston Marathon, which he hopes to run.

Mr Haridasse said if Mr Oliveira did not help him, "that would have been his fastest race ever".

"I'm running Boston again," Mr Haridasse told the paper. "I'm definitely running again."

"It was a split-second decision," Mr De Oliveira wrote on social media. "When I entered the final stretch of the marathon, I was just a few meters away from achieving my personal best, but in the distance I saw [Haridasse] collapsing.

"I knew I wouldn't have the strength to help him on my own. In that moment, I thought, 'God, if someone stops, I'll stop too and help him.'"

He said he knew he could help "because two are stronger than one".

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Mr De Oliveira also ended up in the medical tent after the race with Mr Haridasse, who was suffering from extreme dehydration.

"The fact not many people realise you gave everything to help and ended up in a worse state than the guy we helped," Mr Beggs replied on Mr De Oliveira's post. "True star."

(c) Sky News 2026: The men who sacrificed their race to help another Boston Marathon runner