A Marine veteran who ran in memory of 3 friends who died in Afghanistan crawled across the Boston Marathon finish line in a powerful moment
- US Marine veteran Micah Herndon crawled across the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday, after his legs gave out late in the race.
- The Ohio native was running in honor of the three friends he lost in an IED attack in Afghanistan in 2010.
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A Marine veteran crawled across the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday, after his legs gave out late in the race.
Micah Herndon, of Tallmadge, Ohio, persisted because he was running in honor of three friends who died in an IED attack in Afghanistan.
"The pain that I was going through is nothing compared to the pain that they went through," Herndon told CBS Boston.
On January 9, 2010, Herndon was riding in a vehicle with fellow Marines Matthew Ballard, Mark Juarez and British journalist Rupert Hamer when they struck a 400-pound IED, Herndon told the Washington Post.
Juarez and Hamer died on impact. Ballard, who Herndon described as his best friend, died later of his injuries.
Herndon went on to survive two more IED attacks, and told The Post he got into running as a way to deal with the tough transition back to civilian life.
"There's a reason why I'm here," he told the paper. "I'm just trying to find out what that reason is for."
Herndon had hoped to finish the race in under three hours, in order to qualify for the New York City Marathon in November. He was on pace to make that goal for most of the race, but his legs started to give out when he hit Heartbreak Hill, an incline near the 20-mile marker, according to The Post.
He started feeling discomfort in his Achilles' tendon that eventually caused his legs to give out entirely, leading him to finish the race on hands and knees.
Video shows volunteers clearing space for Herndon to he could crawl across the finish line. He was then put in a wheelchair and taken to get medical attention.
While he is still recovering from the race in Boston, he told The Post that he plans to get back to running as soon as possible, calling it his "therapy."
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