Woman's Dramatic End to Austin Marathon Is a Crawl to Finish Line
Hyvon Ngetich refused to use a wheelchair in the final stretch of the race.
— -- Runners crawling across a marathon’s finish line are usually found at the back of the pack but not so for a female runner at Sunday’s Austin Marathon.
Hyvon Ngetich led the elite women’s field for most of the 26.2 miles in Sunday’s race until she says her body just could not take it anymore.
"I was like winning, you know. I was 500 kilometers in front. I looked back and I didn't see anybody," Ngetich told local news station KTBC. "For the last two kilometers, I don't remember. Finish line, I have no idea.”
In those last kilometers of the race, Ngetich’s fell to her hands and knees and began crawling to the race’s finish line.
Video of the moment shows runners racing past Ngetich as she crawls to the end, refusing any help so as not to disqualify herself.
"I remember the lady, the bicycle lady, she was telling me, 'You are almost,' so I was just like going because I'm almost," said Ngetich.
Ngetich was passed by one female competitor while crawling, which pushed her into third place. The woman who won the race, Cynthia Jerop, finished in 2:54:22, according to local ABC affiliate KVUE.
The marathon’s race director, John Conley, told reporters that he planned to award Ngetich with the prize money for second place, despite her third-place finish.
“When she came around the corner on her hands and knees, I have never, in 43 years of being involved in this sport, have seen a finish like that," Conley told KTBC.
The Austin Marathon awards $3,000 to the first-place finisher, $2,000 to second-place and $1,000 to third-place, according to its website.
Conley and marathon officials did not immediately reply to ABC News for comment.