It was a simple gesture, yet it probably meant more to Kevin Wanichko than placing 1,116th — or perhaps even finishing a grueling, 26-mile jaunt around historic Beantown.
Wanichko, the women’s cross country coach at Saint Vincent College, ran the Boston Marathon on Monday morning and gained notoriety after he helped a fellow competitor get across the finish line.
Wanichko’s show of sportsmanship was captured in a viral video.
Mexico’s Allan Villanueva and Wanichko saw fellow runner Chris Fernandez staggering, so each grabbed an arm, roped it over their shoulder, held Fernandez up and helped him across the finish line.
Why we love sports.
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) April 15, 2019
This runner being helped to the finish line at the #BostonMarathon shows the camaraderie in competition. pic.twitter.com/JXI4ObSxzJ
Tomorrow is the day 123rd @bostonmarathon. I’m going out tomorrow with my goal in mind and won’t accept anything less. Tomorrow is gonna be a great day! Follow my journey by texting RUNNER to 234567 then entering my bib number. pic.twitter.com/zPmHLKpW4l
— kevin wanichko (@Wanichko13) April 14, 2019
Our very own @Wanichko13 showing what it means to be a Bearcat on one of the world’s biggest stages. https://t.co/HsxDpvwQMo
— SVC_Bearcats (@SVC_Bearcats) April 15, 2019
Sportsmanship is lauded throughout the @PAC_Athletics, year in and year out. Probably one of the league's finest models of it right here in Coach Wanichko.#whyd3
— Presidents’ Athletic Conference (@PAC_Athletics) April 15, 2019
The video, posted by NBC Olympics, had more than 32,000 views Monday night.
“For the past 15 years I have been a runner,” Wanichko said. “For five of those years I have been a coach. We have all had those races where we needed a little boost. It’s my job to help people better their running, so I didn’t think twice when I saw another runner in need. Saint Vincent College has instilled these values in me.”
Lawrence Cherono of Kenya won the race in in 2 hours, 7 minutes 57 seconds.
— Bill Beckner Jr.
