This Venezuelan Finished Last Place at the NYC Marathon After 15 Hours
Credit: juanpablo2santos
Venezuelan Juan Pablo Dos Santos, a model, motivational speaker, and amputee athlete, completed the TCS New York City Marathon, which took place on Sunday, November 2nd. And yes, Dos Santos came in last. But just the fact that he finished after 15 hours is a big accomplishment.
Dos Santos, who used running blades for the race, was greeted at the finish line by a group of people singing the Venezuelan national anthem and cheering. He, himself, carried a Venezuelan flag in his hand as he crossed the finish line. People continued to celebrate Dos Santos as a symbol of perseverance and endurance as he got his medal after a 15 hour and 21 minute runtime at 12:34pm ET.
Throughout the day, people tracked his progress to make sure they could meet him at the finish line.
Ever since the accident that caused him to lose both legs, Dos Santos has become a motivational speaker and has even written a book about his experience and starting over.
One of the largest and most iconic marathons in the world, this year saw over 59,000 people participate in the race, including 46 wheelchair users and 51 handcycle users. The race, which is organized by nonprofit New York Road Runners, was first run in 1970 in Central Park and now runs through 26.2 miles and all five New York City boroughs.
Olympic bronze medalist from Kenya, Benson Kipruto, finished first in this year’s race at 2 hours and 8 minutes. But, in many people’s hearts, Juan Pablo Dos Santos is and will always be in first place.