Close Ad

Teen Runner Sacrifices Chances Of Qualifying To Help Carry Competitor Across Finish Line
Runners Brandon Schutt and Blake Cerveny
Uplifting News

Teen Runner Sacrifices Chances Of Qualifying To Help Carry Competitor Across Finish Line

Runner Blake Cerveny's legs gave out right before the finish line of a race. Unexpected help came in the form of his competitor.

Collapsed 400 meters before the finish line

Track and field runner and Omaha Burke High School sophomore Blake Cerveny was on a mission.

Cerveny got a fast start in the 3.1-mile race and was hoping for a personal best to qualify for the upcoming state meet. But with less than 400 meters to go, the runner's legs cramped up and he fell to the ground.


"My legs gave out on me and I fell to the ground and just my hands hit," he told KETV.

He refused to give up

But Cerveny refused to give up. He got up to continue the race only to fall again after 150 meters.

The team's coach called from the sidelines, “Are you ok?”

Blake nodded his head in reply, as reported by Prep Running Nerd.

“OK, just stay down. You did great.”

But Blake wouldn't give up.

“I need to finish."

Blake Cerveny

Stranger helps up competitor

Fellow runner Brandon Shutt had actually been in the same position as his competitor three weeks prior when he wasn't able to complete a race.

So when he noticed Cerveny was down, without a moment's hesitation he attempted to help him over the finish line.

"I felt awful about not finishing. I felt like I was letting my teammates down, and I was letting myself down. So ultimately I just made the call," he told KETV.

Runner displays selflessness

At first, Shutt couldn't get Cerveny to stand up, but he persevered and the two athletes crossed the finish line together.

“This is the first time I’ve ever seen an athlete stop his race and work so hard to help his fellow competitor across the finish line,” Prep Running Nerd author Jay Slagle told Good News Network. “Perhaps more impressively, Brandon had virtually no time to think about whether he should help or not; he reacted so quickly that he did it instinctively.”

As per the rules of the race, Cerveny was disqualified for not completing it on his own, but Shutt's time stood, therefore sacrificing his chance at qualifying for the state meet.

“Brandon is an excellent person,” the team's head track coach Rachel Carraher told KETV. “He is really kind and a great leader on the team.”

"I really appreciate what he did and I'm going to remember that."

Blake Cerveny

Compassion > competition

In life and in sports, we're taught to be competitive. "Win at all costs," they sometimes say.

But a world with only competitiveness and compassion is a mean, mean world.

In this race, Shutt showed compassion and selflessness, which despite not winning the race are more valuable in the grand scheme of things than winning.

More uplifting stories

Lead with integrity
"If you don't have integrity, you have nothing. You can't buy it. You can have all the money in the world, but if you are not a moral and ethical person, you really have nothing." -- Henry Kravis

Hot Stories

Why Paul Walker Left His Only Daughter With Vin Diesel

Vin Diesel & Paul Walker were more than just friends, they were …

content.jwplatform.com

When the tragic news of Paul Walker's death surfaced, the world was left in shock. As one of the most beloved stars of the Fast and Furious franchise, his passing was felt deeply by fans around the globe. But perhaps the most devastating impact was felt by his daughter, Meadow Walker, who was left without a father.

Keep ReadingShow less
Life Stories
4 Signs You've Found a Kindred Spirit, Not a Soulmate
friends wearing same outfit

Spirituality exists beyond words — to a dimension where language can only hint at deeper truths. Any words used to attempt to describe or explain it will always be poor translations because words often fall short when describing spiritual experiences. It's like trying to capture the ocean's vastness in a photograph. It might show its surface but there's no replacement for the direct experience of reality.

RELATED: The Psychology and Spirituality Causes Of An Identity Crisis

On Defining Spiritual Connections

Throughout history, people have tried to capture extraordinary experiences and spiritual connections through language. Terms like soulmates, twin flames, and kindred spirits attempt to describe these non-ordinary bonds. Yet these labels are merely signposts that point to something mysterious and won't fully capture it.

Keep ReadingShow less
Relationships
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his parents Randi and Pat
Archive

Make no mistake about it: Patrick Mahomes is the face of the NFL. The Tyler, Texas native is the son of Pat Mahomes, a former Major League Baseball player, and Randi Martin.

He burst onto the scene in 2018 when he made history by throwing 50 touchdown passes and 5,000 yards in a single season — a record he shares with Peyton Manning. He followed up his initial success by leading the Kansas City Chiefs to an incredible victory at Super Bowl LIV. If that wasn’t enough, he carried the team through to yet another Super Bowl the very next year, though they ended up losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mahomes has gone to two more Super Bowls since and he's won back-to-back titles (2023 and 2024).

Keep ReadingShow less
Family