London Marathon runner helps exhausted competitor over finish line

A runner who carried an exhausted fellow athlete over the London Marathon finishing line claimed helping was 'more important' to him than his race time.

A runner is helped near the finish line during the London marathon. Picture: Getty

Matthew Rees, 29, encountered the staggering racer, believed to be called David Wyeth, as the pair rounded the final stretch of The Mall.

To raucous cheers, the Swansea-based runner put his fatigued rival’s arm around his neck and hauled him to the end of the 26.2-mile course.

The pair then separated and Mr Wyeth, who was said to be running in memory of his uncle, was taken away for medical treatment.

The bank worker, a member of the Swansea Harriers running club, told the Press Association: “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’.

“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 the signs of extreme exhaustion, both men were on course to finish the race in less than three hours - and was Mr Rees’s second marathon in a month.

He claimed lingering tiredness had slowed his initial time.

“My calf started to cramp really early on, so I just decided ‘right I’ve just got to make it to the finish line’ and so when I saw the guy on the floor it sort of brought the feelings I’d had the whole marathon to me,” he said.

“I wanted just to get to finishing line and that’s all he wanted - so we could just do it together.

“We’ve got the exact same emotions but in different ways, he can’t walk and I have just had an awful race, I just want to get to the finish line and so does he.

“This is what the marathon is about - it’s about people - it’s for everyone. Moments like this make it worth it. I’m just glad he’s okay.”