Natalie Stechyson · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 23, 2026 5:31 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

It's one of those rare moments that makes you feel something.

No, not rage. Not despair. Not even mildly disgruntled. But something ... positive. Yes, even in 2026. Listen, we didn't think it was possible, but a viral video from the Boston Marathon viewed millions of times might have the power to heal us all.

Videos captured by several bystanders at Monday's prestigious 42.2-kilometre race start with heartbreak. After nearly three hours of running, with the finish line painfully close, a runner collapses to the ground in exhaustion. The crowd yells out words of encouragement as Ajay Haridasse tries and fails to get back on his feet.

Four times, Haridasse collapses, and watches dozens of his competitors speed past him in their final sprint.

But then, someone stops and pulls the man up to his feet. Moments later, a second person stops to hoist Haridasse up by his other other arm. Shoulder to shoulder, with Haridasse hanging between them, the three men run the final few hundred metres together.

WATCH | The moment two runners stop to help Haridasse:

The two runners who helped sacrificed their personal bests. One of them collapsed as well after getting Haridasse to the end. But they all crossed the finish line and qualified to compete in next year's marathon.

"My natural instinct was to help," Ireland's Aaron Beggs, the first runner to stop, told the Irish News Wednesday.

"I looked at Ajay, and looked at the finish line, and I made my decision." 

Brazil's Robson De Oliveira, the second to stop, wrote on Instagram that it was a split-second choice. He was just a few minutes away from achieving a personal record time when he saw Haridasse collapse ahead of him.

"I knew I wouldn't have the strength to help him on my own," De Oliveira wrote, adding he decided in that moment that if someone else stopped, he would, too.

"And God was so generous to us that Aaron Beggs stopped, and I knew I could help, because two are stronger than one."

De Oliveira and Haridasse receive medical attention after crossing the finish line in the marathon. (Cj Gunther/Reuters)

'I was getting ready to crawl'

More than 32,000 people took part in Monday's 130th running of the Boston Marathon. The course winds through eight cities and towns before finishing on Boston's famous Boylston Street.

Many consider it the world's premier marathon based on its status as the world's oldest, plus its exclusive and strict qualifying standards and rules. To qualify this year, for instance, men between 18 and 34 had to run a marathon in two hours, 55 minutes or faster to earn a spot.

There are also professional runners — like Kenyan John Korir, who broke the course record by winning in two hours, one minute and 42 seconds.

Runners are seeded into waves by their qualifying times and projected finishing times. Haridasse, Beggs and De Oliveira all had red bibs, meaning they were in the first wave — the fastest of the entrants behind the professionals.

This photo provided by the Boston Athletic Association and Marathonfoto showsDe Oliveira, left, and Beggs, right, helping runner Haridasse across the finish line. (Gustavo E. Gargallo/Boston Athletic Association/MarathonFoto/The Associated Press)

Haridasse, a fourth-year student at Northeastern University in Boston, kept a brisk pace right until the last stretch. He told the Boston Herald that his legs went limp about 41.8 kilometres into the 42.1-kilometre race.

Then he fell and couldn't get back up.

"I was getting ready to crawl," he told the Herald, which reports he was suffering from extreme dehydration but has since recovered.

On Instagram, Haridasse commented that he was grateful to Beggs and De Oliveira "for getting me there."

It's not uncommon for runners to collapse or for their legs to give out during marathons. Every year, there are photos and stories of people crawling, scooting, and helping others across the finish line.

While it hasn't gotten as much media attention, three other runners also helped another struggling person to the finish line Monday, carrying her part of the way. Lan Nguyen then scooted across the finish line on her own.

According to the BAA rules, if an athlete is still moving forward somewhat under their own power — even if they’re being held up by other athletes — the finish is likely legal.

Marathon runner Jessica Kier, left, looks on as runners William Bara-Jimenez, second from left, and Meredith Rosenberg, right, help runner Lan Nguyen reach the finish line during the Boston Marathon on Monday. (Brian Lee/Boston Athletic Association and MarathonFoto/The Associated Press)

'You gave up everything to help'

Beggs, the other runner who stopped, told the Irish Times his own personal best time is 2:43:50 at the Dublin Marathon — a time he, too, was likely on track to beat, had he not stopped.

Crossing together, all three finished in 2:44, with milliseconds separating them. Beggs called for medics to bring a wheelchair for Haridasse, but it was De Oliveira who collapsed.

"Not many people realize you gave everything to help and ended up in a worse state than the guy we helped," Beggs, the other runner who stopped, commented on De Oliveira's Instagram post.

"Not everyone understands the full scope of what you did," someone commented on a video posted by De Oliveira. "Not everyone realizes to finish in that time means you are completely spent."

Robson De Oliveira receives medical attention after crossing the finish line in the marathon. (Cj Gunther/Reuters)

Beggs told BBC News what they did isn't unusual, and that marathoners support each other. But that maybe it's resonating more with people right now because we all need something good.

"With everything going on in the world, everybody just wants a bit of inspiration, a bit of happiness," Beggs said.

And on social media, where the videos of the moment have already been viewed millions of times, that does seem to be the case.

"You didn’t just finish, you guys showed people the spirit of the sport," one person commented.

"This is what the world needs right now — humanity."