Quinton helped by marathon ‘angel’
FELLOW RUNNER HELPS EXHAUSTED EX-RED OVER LINE
Quinton Fortune is helped by Tommy Lewis and , right, on a stretcher at the end of the marathon FORMER United star Quinton Fortune has thanked the ‘angel’ who helped him complete the London Marathon after collapsing with exhaustion near the finish line.
The South African former winger, 39, was running the 26-mile course to raise cash for United’s charitable foundation. But he collapsed with 600 metres to go.
It prompted a runner Tommy Lewis, from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, to put aside his bid for a fast time to help Quinton cross the line.
Footage of his kindness went viral and afterwards Quinton tweeted his gratitude, saying: “You an angel. Thank you thank you thank you thank you and the other gentleman for helping over the line.”
Tommy, 25, said: “I was just running down Embankment when I just saw this bloke struggling. I just kept saying to him ‘come on, we’re not that far away now’ but he started to struggle even more.
“He almost fell over so I managed to put my arm around him. He was mumbling about ‘sub four hours,’ which is the time most runners aim to complete the marathon in, and I kept saying ‘we are almost there, we can do it.’”
But Fortune, who was a member of the United side which scooped the Premier League title in 2002/03, took a turn for the worse with around 600 metres to go.
Tommy added: “He fell, and took me down with him. A marshal came over and helped me get him back up and the marshal and I literally carried him to the finishing line.
“I was hurting myself. I had injured my left foot, but I kept thinking how devastating it would be for him to have put so much effort into it and not to make it to the finishing line. I also kept thinking that, if I was in the same situation, I would like someone to help me.
“It is all about getting to the finish line and I was determined to help him.”
It did not dawn on Tommy, who works in rehabilitation at a leisure centre in Coventry, that he helped out a former football star until they almost reached the line.
“In all fairness, he was incoherent, I have never seen anyone like it, but I could hear people chanting his name and I looked at his top and realised it was him and he was running for the Manchester United foundation,” said the Leicester City fan.
“I would have helped anyone out who was struggling, it just happened to be him.”
Medics rushed to help Quinton as soon as Tommy and the marshal got him over the line.