Oct 9, 2007 6:26 pm US/Central
Distressed Marathon Runner Thanks Guardian Angel
Man Says Stranger Saved Him From Collapsing
PLAINFIELD, Ill. (CBS) ―
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Kurt Wepprecht says a stranger came to his rescue and saved him from collapsing during the 2007 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon.
CBS
Beyond the blame game that's taken place in the aftermath of the 2007 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, there are tales of true grit and the kindness of strangers.
CBS 2 West Suburban Bureau Chief Mike Puccinelli reports on a runner who was in distress and is now searching for the good soul who saved him.
"By mile ten I was already getting blood on my shoe. Blood was soaking through my shoe," said Kurt Wepprecht. The Plainfield man said his first marathon only got worse. "At mile 15, I kind of became overcome by the heat," he said.
But it wasn't until mile 20 when he really slammed into the proverbial wall. "I've never felt that bad before. It was like quicksand. It was hard to put one foot in front of the other."
For a time, Wepprecht was sure he was about to become one of the more than three hundred runners who were rushed to the hospital because of the intense heat, but before he too collapsed on the course a good samaritan came to his aid.
"I just couldn't walk anymore and just bent over and was out of breath, and this guy put his hand on my shoulder and was like, 'are you okay?'"
Wepprecht was not. Like so many other runners, he was dehydrated. But when he was at his worst, Wepprecht says the stranger named Jeff was at his best.
"He said I'll help you get where you need to go. He was with me over an hour," Wepprecht said.
When there was no water left at the aid stations, the stranger provided some. "He went over to a local restaurant and bought two bottles and gave me one and poured the other over my head."
Wepprecht says Jeff stayed with him until his wife arrived to take him back to Plainfield. Then he just disappeared in the crowd. Wepprecht hopes to find him so he can properly say thanks. "I didn't necessarily believe in guardian angels, but he came up at my worst and helped me through it."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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