'Superstar' British runner sacrifices personal best time to help exhausted man finish marathon

Oliver Partridge
Thu, 23 Apr 2026 08:02:32 +0000

A British athlete has received acclaim after abandoning his chance of a marathon personal best time to rescue an exhausted runner who collapsed metres from the finish line.

Aaron Beggs, representing North Down Athletic Club in Northern Ireland, gave up his race ambitions at the Boston Marathon to help Ajay Haridasse complete the gruelling 26.2-mile course after he fell and could not stand unaided.

Aided by another runner, Robson De Oliveira, spectators captured the emotional moment from various angles as crowds cheered the trio across the line - with videos accumulating more than two million views on X.

The incident unfolded just beyond the 26-mile marker, with video showing a visibly debilitated Mr Haridasse attempting repeatedly to regain his footing as onlookers called out encouragement.

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Numerous competitors ran past the stricken athlete, before Mr Beggs, wearing his distinctive yellow and blue club vest, halted his own race to offer assistance.

Despite his efforts, the saviour found it difficult to keep Haridasse upright on his own.

Mr De Oliveira, who had been on course for his fastest marathon time, then abandoned his personal ambitions to join the rescue effort.

Together, the pair supported Mr Haridasse with their arms around him, guiding him to the finish as spectators erupted in applause.

Speaking from his Bangor home on Wednesday, Mr Beggs described marathon running as a collective experience.

"It's a journey together, help each other along, support each other," he said.

Asked why he stopped, the Northern Ireland runner attributed his actions to pure instinct.

"I couldn't tell you, just natural instinct made me go over to him," he told the BBC.

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He cited the Brownlee brothers' famous 2016 Triathlon World Series finish as an enduring inspiration, where one sibling helped the other complete the race.

Dismissing his newfound celebrity status with laughter, Mr Beggs offered a simple philosophy: "It's nice to be nice."

Mr Haridasse told the Boston Herald that after falling for the fourth time, he had resigned himself to crawling the final stretch.

"If he didn't help me, that would have been his fastest race ever," he said of Mr De Oliveira's sacrifice.

In an Instagram post, Mr De Oliveira explained he had spotted Mr Haridasse collapsing ahead, but knew he lacked the strength to assist alone.

"In that moment, I thought, 'God, if someone stops, I'll stop too and help him'," he wrote, adding: "Two are stronger than one."

The three runners have since exchanged messages, with Mr Beggs telling the BBC the trio have enjoyed "a laugh together".