A Georgia police officer helped a marathon runner finish a race after he took a crippling fall on Saturday.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Robert McCoy was about 200 yards from the finish line of Savannah's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon when he fell to the ground, cutting his face and legs.
Sergeant John Cain, a 27-year veteran of the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department, accompanied the other police officers and paramedics who immediately rushed to McCoy's aid.
On its website, the department wrote despite his injuries, McCoy repeatedly told Cain,
I've got to finish the race.
SCMPD Sgt. John Cain helped this Rock n' Roll marathon runner across the finish line after he fell. #WhyIWearTheBadgeThank you Casey Jones for this photo! #RnRSAV #VisitSavannah Posted by Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department on Saturday, November 7, 2015
Sgt. Cain said,
I asked him if he wanted me to help him and he said 'yes.' I put my arm around his shoulder and back. I could feel in my heart that he needed to finish, there was a purpose for him doing so and he wanted to accomplish the goal.
A paramedic on a bicycle trailed behind McCoy as he finished the race with Cain's assistance.
The officer called McCoy "an inspiration" and "the hero in this story."
Cain will be awarded a free pair of running shoes from Georgia Game Changers Running Company for his "proud reflection of a true public servant," the company wrote on Facebook.
According to the Facebook comments on the photo of McCoy and Cain, the runner lost his father earlier this year and was competing in his honor.
Citations: Georgia officer helps injured marathon runner cross finish line (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
