Yorkshire Post

Man helped over marathon finishing line feels a ‘fraud’

-

THE RUNNER who was carried across the London Marathon finish line has joked that he feels like a “slight fraud” and that he should give a piece of his medal to the Good Samaritan who helped him.

In a celebrated show of sportsmans­hip, David Wyeth, 35, was helped to the race finish line on Sunday by fellow competitor Matthew Rees, 29, who placed the flagging runner’s arms around him as he staggered through the last mile.

After the pair joked that Mr Wyeth completed the race one minute faster than Swansea man Mr Rees, the 35-year-old admitted he “didn’t know where I would be” without the younger man’s help.

The project manager said: “The time means absolutely nothing to me – I feel a slight fraud for having a medal around my neck.

“I should cut a little piece out because it belongs to Matthew. I really wouldn’t have got across the line – on my hands and knees, maybe, but the time meant nothing in the end because I know I wouldn’t have got there without Matthew putting his arm around me and carrying me over the line.” Mr Wyeth, from Manchester, also said he felt “selfish” for putting himself at risk with his two young children, aged six and four, watching.

Reunited 24 hours after the race at a press conference at a hotel in Tower Hill, London, Mr Wyeth was near tears as he recalled the painful moment.

Mr Rees, an HSBC bank worker, said he feared he himself might not finish the race after battling issues with his calf muscles from nine miles in.

He said: “My moment with David was caught on camera, but I was helped along the course. I stopped a number of times to stretch out my calf. Other runners said, ‘I’ll slow down and go with you’ and I told them to go on. The last couple of miles the calf was really hurting me but the thought that the finish line is close drives you on that little bit further.”

 ??  ?? SPORTSMANS­HIP: Chorlton Runners’ David Wyeth, left, and Swansea Harriers’ Matthew Rees in a press conference at The Tower Bridge Hotel.
SPORTSMANS­HIP: Chorlton Runners’ David Wyeth, left, and Swansea Harriers’ Matthew Rees in a press conference at The Tower Bridge Hotel.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Kingdom