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David Wyeth is helped near the finish line during the London marathon on April 23, 2017 in London. Picture: AFP.
AN exhausted amateur marathon runner collapsed two hundred metres from the finish line — and was helped over the line by a fellow competitor.
Matthew Rees, 29, stopped his own race to help stricken David Wyeth in a moment already being compared to the famous images of triathlon champ Alistair Brownlee helping his brother Jonny, reports The Sun.
Mr Wyeth, a member of Chorlton Runners club in Manchester, was seen falling backwards before Mr Rees stopped to help.
David Wyeth is helped near the finish line during the London marathon. Picture: AFP.Source:AFP
Later on men who appeared to work for the event were seen helping Mr Wyeth over the finish line outside Buckingham Palace.
Mr Rees, a runner with Swansea Harriers in Wales, can be seen shouting at Mr Wyeth and encouraging him to stay on his feet.
Mr Wyeth’s legs were wobbling and he could barely walk as Mr Rees propped him up in front of hundreds of spectators.
Mr Rees, who works at a bank, said: “I took the final corner thinking ‘right, it’s nearly done, time to sprint’, and I saw this guy and his legs just crumbled below him.
“I saw him try to stand up again and his legs just went down again, and I thought ‘this is more important, getting him across the line is more important than shaving a few seconds off my time’.”
Matthew Rees, 29, from Swansea, poses in central London. Picture: AP.Source:AP
He added: “I went over to try and help him and every time he tried to get up he just fell down again and again, so I just tried to cheer him on, picked him up and said: ‘Come on, we can do this’.
“He was really grateful, but he wasn’t very coherent, he was just like ‘I have to finish, I have to finish’ and I said ‘you will finish, you will get there, come on let’s do this’, but every time he tried to move he would just fall again so it was important to guide him.”
Despite Mr Wyeth’s exhaustion both men finished the race in less than three hours.
In September last year triathlete Alistair Brownlee helped his struggling brother Jonny over the line after he almost collapsed during a race in Mexico.
Mr Brownlee was leading the World Triathlon Series with just 700m to go when he started to succumb to the blistering heat.
His two-time Olympic champion brother stopped to help him rather than passing him.
Mr Wyeth and Mr Rees were two of more than 40,000 runners taking part in the London Marathon today.
The 41km route’s start points were at Greenwich Park or Blackheath, with runners having to pound the pavement all the way to the finish line outside Buckingham Palace.
Kate Middleton was pictured with Wills and Harry in high spirits at the sidelines as they took selfies and “high-fived” the runners.
Stars including Chris Evans and Eastenders actor Adam Woodyatt have taken part in the marathon.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge shakes hands with a runner. Picture: Getty.Source:Getty Images
This article was first published in The Sun.
Originally published as Marathon runner’s incredible act