A Northern Irish runner who helped carry a collapsed competitor across the finish line at the 130th Boston Marathon said the world needed a feel-good story “amid the vortex of negativity.” Aaron Beggs stopped to assist 21-year-old Ajay Haridasse of Boston, who repeatedly collapsed from exhaustion near the finish line.

The race saw defending champions John Korir and Sharon Lokedi of Kenya secure victories, with Korir setting a new course record and Lokedi missing her previous record by one second. However, the viral moment of sportsmanship became a major talking point.

Bystander videos show Haridasse struggling to stand after collapsing near a barrier. Beggs extended both arms to pull him up, and Brazilian runner Robson De Oliveira joined to help support Haridasse under his shoulders to the finish line. “I looked at my watch, I looked at him again, and my natural instinct was to just go and pick him up,” Beggs told Al Jazeera.

Beggs reflected on the journey: “For the three of us to continue our journey across the finish line like three strangers from three different countries – we’ll have a story for the rest of our lives.” He emphasized the importance of positive stories going viral in a time of negative news, saying, “We all need just a nice story in our lives just to make us smile, bring a tear to our eyes with happiness – it’s nice to be nice.”

Source: www.aljazeera.com