Collapsing Runner Wins Race —With Rival's Help

A competitor who collapsed short of the finish line at the Beach to Beacon 10K in Maine managed to complete the race with some help. "It kind of seemed like it was over for me," says former University of Maine runner Jesse Orach, who won last year’s race. "Then, I felt someone pick me up." Robert Gomez, of Windham, helped Orach to his feet, and together they crossed the finish line. Then, Orach collapsed again. "He ran a better race," tells the Portland Press Herald. "He gave it more than I did. I didn’t deserve to win."

"I couldn’t leave him there," Gomez continues. "In the running community, I feel camaraderie comes before competitiveness."The touching moment was captured by news photographers, reports the AP. Gomez and Orach both had the same time: 31 minutes, 31 seconds. Orach tells the newspaper he'd suffered a heat stroke, with his core body temperature peaking at 107.3 degrees. There were nearly 6,500 competitors. (More uplifting news stories.)