Marine Veteran Finishes Marathon in Inspiring Fashion

Micah Herndon finished the Boston Marathon Monday in a time of 3:38, so, no, he didn't come close to the top runners. But he did finish, and he did so on his hands and knees after collapsing in sight of the finish line, reports Yahoo Sports. Herndon's story was drawing attention on Tuesday because of the inspiration behind it: As the Record-Courier of Ohio explains, Herndon is a Marine veteran who was injured by an IED in Afghanistan 2010. He runs not only to help cope with his PTSD but to honor two fellow Marines—Mark Juarez and Matthew Ballard—and journalist Rupert Hamer, who were killed in a separate attack.

"I run in honor of them," Herndon tells the newspaper. "If I get a heat cramp while running or my feet hurt or I am getting exhausted, I just keep saying their names out loud to myself. They went through much worse, so I run for them and their families." Herndon says he never entertained the thought of quitting when he collapsed about 100 yards ahead of the finish line, per the AP. Instead, his military training kicked in and helped him cover the last small stretch. (More uplifting news stories.)