CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine -- A runner competing in a 10K road race picked up and pushed a fallen competitor across the finish in what is now being called the ultimate combination of kindness and good sportsmanship.
Jesse Orach was out in front during most of Saturday's Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.
But before he reached the finish line -- he fell and struggled to regain his footing.
That's when he felt someone grab his shoulders.
"I had a feeling it was Rob at first, but I wasn't sure," Orach told WMTW. "I was trying to think of who would have been somewhat close behind me and it kind of fit that it was probably him."
Rob Gomez said stopping to help Jesse finish the race was the right thing to do.
"I was sort of doing something that anyone in the Maine running community would have done," he said. "I just happened to be the lucky one to do it."
While Gomez and Orach crossed the finish line together, Orach was declared the winner thanks to one final push.
"Right before the finish, I started to really lose it and he sort of kinda pushed me to make sure I got across before him which is pretty remarkable," Orach said. "I knew what kind of person he was just from passing. I knew that he was capable of doing such a thing. But it still shocked me when he did it."
