CAPE ELIZABETH, ME (WMTW/CNN) - As he made his way through the 10K course, Jesse Orach was leading the pack for Maine men when he turned into what he thought was the home stretch.
“I was pretty much home free, and it ended up being a lot further than I thought,” Orach said. “I kind of mentally shut down a little bit.”
The former University of Maine runner made it about 25 more meters before he fell, picked himself up and then fell again a little further ahead.
That’s when he felt someone grabbing his shoulders.
“I had a feeling it was Rob at first, but I wasn’t sure,” he said of runner Robert Gomez. “I was trying to think of someone who would be close behind me. It kind of fit that it was probably him.”
Gomez said he didn’t think twice about helping.
“I was just doing what anyone in the Maine running community would have done, so I just happened to be the lucky one to do it,” Gomez said.
Orach said he remembers hearing Gomez telling him, “You’re going to finish this.”
With the mental and physical support of Gomez, Orach continued toward the finish line.
“Right before the finish, I started to really lose it, and he sort of, kind of pushed me to make sure that I got across before him, which was pretty remarkable.” Orach said.
The two men ultimately shared a finish time of 31 minutes, 31 seconds. Orach technically finished first, thanks to a push from someone he now considers a friend.
“I knew what kind of person he was just from passing,” Orach said of Gomez. “I knew he was capable of doing such a thing, but it still shocked me when he did it. I made sure I found him after I got out of the med tent and I said, ‘I don’t know what to say, I’m speechless.’ And he said, ‘You don’t have to say anything.’”
Copyright 2017 WMTW via CNN. All rights reserved.
