WALDRON GRAIN & FUEL

04/22 17:20 CDT Runners were struggling to finish Boston Marathon when competitors came along and helped them across Runners were struggling to finish Boston Marathon when competitors came along and helped them across By MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press BOSTON (AP) --- Ajay Haridasse was close to finishing the Boston Marathon when his legs gave out. But as he struggled to get up, two other runners came along, lifted him up and helped him about 1,000 feet (305 meters) to the finish line. The dramatic events unfolded at Monday's running of the iconic race. As scores of runners passed Haridasse, his fellow competitors Robson De Oliveira of Brazil and Aaron Beggs of Britain stopped, helped him up and carried him on their shoulders to end of the race. Pete Grasso, who was watching the race, caught the moment on video when the pair picked up Haridasse. "The coolest part about this moment was that these two guys were less than a tenth of a mile away, in the middle of a really, really fast race, and still stopped to help a fellow runner who needed some help. That's not easy to do," Grasso said in an email interview. "Seeing them put everything aside in that moment just to get another runner across the line was incredible. And hearing the crowd respond, cheering for them, supporting them, truly gave me chills." A similar scene played out when runner Lan Nguyen of Washington, D.C. struggled toward the finish. Fellow racers Jessica Kier of Snohomish, Washington, Meredith Rosenberg of Boston and William Bara-Jimenez of Bethesda, Maryland helped her to the finish --- at one point carrying her part of the way. Nguyen then scooted across the finish line. Rosenberg, who was on pace for a personal best, said she spotted Nguyen about mile 25 of the race, adding that she "clearly could not walk. There were medics that were trying to get her into a wheelchair." But she and the other runners decided to carry Nguyen the rest of the way, passing cheering volunteers as they reached the end of the race. As Nguyen was placed in a wheelchair after finishing, all four of the helpers hugged. "I have run 12 marathons. Every finish line is special, but this was just even better to be able to help her get across the finish line and just to know that I was part of that," Rosenberg said. "That's really what running in the community is about. And it was just incredible. When we put her down, we were hyping up the crowd. People were cheering." Jack Fleming, the president and CEO of the Boston Athletic Association, which organized the race, said the actions of these runners is typical of the kindness marathon runners exhibit around the world. Sometimes, it's just checking on a struggling runner, bonding with strangers for part of the race or, in this case, getting fellow competitors to the finish. "No marathon is easy. There's no fooling this distance," Fleming said. "We do see marathoners, athletes taking care of each other around the world, not just at the Boston Marathon. It's awesome when we do see it at Boston firsthand and up close. But we know that's a common denominator in our sport."