When Corporal Myles Kerr signed up for a charity 5K marathon he entered in the town of Charlevoix, Michigan with his fellow marines, he was in it to win it. However, he ended up walking away with a much bigger prize in the form of some good karma.

As Myles ran in the race, he came upon a 9 year-old boy who had entered the 5K with some other kids. Sadly, the boy was struggling to keep up with his friends and soon lost them completely, as they ran off thinking he had ran ahead.

Desperate and alone, little Boden Fuchs had no idea why to do. As he began to panic, he reached out to Myles and said, “Sir, will you please run with me?” The 19 year-old Marine had been running in his full gear and boots to test his endurance, but he knew right away that he had to slow down and help this boy.

Giving up any chance of victory, Myles instead ran by Boden’s side for the rest of the race, giving him encouragement as they went. In the end, the two crossed the finish line together, with Myles even letting Boden go in front of him as they crossed the finish line. Someone captured a photo of the touching moment, and it quickly went viral, with internet users everywhere calling Myles a hero. The Marine, however, does not see himself that way.

“I was just doing what any man would do,” Myles said. “I think we clocked 38 minutes by the time we crossed the line. I usually can run the 3 miles in 17 or 18 minutes. He reminded me of myself at that age, but I couldn’t have done what he did then.”

A Facebook post alongside the photo revealed that Myles’ fellow Marines were worried when they realized he was not with them as they crossed the finish line.

“Several minutes after the other Marines he was with had finished, Lcpl Kerr still had not crossed the line,” the post said. “They feared his extreme level of motivation may have caused him injury and/or fatigue resulting in him dropping out of the race. Moments before they ran back through the course to recover their fellow Marine, Lcpl Kerr came around the last turn along with this small boy.”

Myles and Boden remained close after the race, meeting up again afterwards so that the boy’s family could thank the Marine.

Find out more about this uplifting story in the video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZKbN3Mw2cs