As Brazilian runner Pedro Arieta, 34, headed down Boylston Street, his quest to finish the 2025 Boston Marathon was nearly complete.
Arieta and his wife, professional runner Luíza Cravo de Azevedo, were both running their hardest on Monday. With the finish line in sight, Arieta’s personal goal of 2:40:00 was still attainable.
But as dozens of elite runners cruised past without a second glance, Arieta put aside his personal aspirations and stopped to help Shawn Goodwin, 35, of Boston, get back on his feet.
Several spectators posted videos of Arieta’s act of kindness, which quickly amassed millions of views on social media.
On Tuesday morning, Arieta, who ultimately finished with a time of 2:41:29, shared a post on Instagram detailing his experience.
“The Boston Marathon surprised me in more ways than one,” Arieta wrote. “It was impossible to run past someone who needed help reaching their dream finish line and not help them complete the Boston Marathon.”
Cravo, who finished with a time of 2:52:36, commented about how proud she was of her husband.
“The essence of sport to me is that right there,” Cravo wrote. “You dreamed about a sub 2:40 and when you were ALMOST there, God used you to lose a few minutes and do something with much more meaning.”
