When former Marine Micah Herndon decided to run the Boston Marathon for his fallen comrades on Monday, he knew that absolutely nothing was going to stop him from finishing that race. He showed this to the world when he became so exhausted at the end of the marathon that he had to crawl across the finish line in a moment that has quickly gone viral.
Marine Running Boston Marathon for Fallen Comrades Crawls Across Finish Line https://t.co/FM0Xf82epk pic.twitter.com/KTZcSxuE6q
— Military.com (@Militarydotcom) April 16, 2019
Herndon is a 31 year-old veteran from Ohio who served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He decided to sign up for the marathon as a tribute to his fellow Marines Mark Juarez and Matthew Ballard, as well as British journalist Rupert Hamer. Each of the men lost their lives in an IED attack in Iraq.
“I run in honor of them. They are not here anymore. I am here, and I am able,” Herndon said. “I am lucky to still have all my limbs. I can still be active. I find fuel in the simple idea that I can run. Some cannot.”
He went on to say that the three men have helped him get through the tough days he has had since leaving the military.
“I just keep saying their names out loud to myself,” Herndon said. “They went through much worse, so I run for them and their families.”
How badly do you want it? #BostonMarathon pic.twitter.com/EYo7liqM5Q
— Dana Giordano (@dana_gio6) April 15, 2019
As he ran the race, Herndon said his legs started to break down at mile 22 of the 26.2-mile race.
“You just gotta push through it, you know?” he recounted. “Once I realized I couldn’t achieve and maintain my goal pace, I had one goal in mind, and that was just to finish that race on my own.”
Herndon was disappointed to fall short of his goal of qualifying for the New York Marathon, but he was happy that he could honor his friends by finishing the race. Afterwards, he was stunned to learn from “Good Morning America” that organizers of the New York Marathon have offered him the chance to run anyway.
“I appreciate that. That’s good stuff right there,” Herndon responded. “Whoever set that up, thank you.”
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