Marathons require hours and hours of training.
Physically, a person must have the stamina, endurance, and strength to run for such a long time. Mentally, they also have to be in the right frame of mind to push themselves until the finish line. This mental strength usually involves marathon runners not allowing themselves to be distracted throughout their run.
If they focus entirely on themselves and not what others around them are doing, they can keep their end goal in mind and stick to their strategy.
But sometimes, situations call for runners to choose if they’re going to allow themselves to become distracted or not, and when morals come into play, sometimes a distraction is more than worth it.
So when a keen marathon runner from Bangkok came across a stray puppy during a race, she knew that she wouldn’t be able to leave him behind.
Amazingly, the woman picked up the puppy and ran the rest of the marathon with him in her arms, and now he lives happily in her home with her other dogs.
Khemjira Klongsanun enjoys taking part in marathons around her home city of Bangkok, Thailand.
The avid runner and dog lover can often be seen running with her dogs on a leash, but she decided to run one particular marathon by herself – a division which we bet she was glad to make in hindsight!
As she took part in her latest marathon, around 7 miles into the 26-mile run, Khemjira spotted something that made her stop in her tracks.
In front of her was a tiny puppy lying on the roadside, and it was clear that he had no mom or owners to look after him.
Khemjira made a split-second decision to pick up the little pup.
She only trusted herself to look after him.
But did she back out of the rest of the race? Absolutely not!
Clutching the tiny puppy safely in her arms, Khemjira ran the rest of the 19 miles with her new companion, and they crossed the finish line together.
Amazingly, even after her brief stop, and with the extra weight of the puppy in her arms, Khemjira secured 34th Place in the race and has the medal to prove it.
The runner was photographed and caught on video carrying the pup to the finish line, and she shared the adorable snaps on her Facebook page.
After the race, Khemjira knew instantly that the little puppy was now a part of her life and she took him home to meet her other dogs.
The tiny puppy, who she named Nong Chom, slept peacefully in the car all the way home. It’s as if he knew that he was now in safe hands.
Once the pair arrived back at Khemjira’s home, it was time to introduce the puppy to her other dogs, and he instantly fit right in!
After a vet’s check-up for Nong Chom, Khemjira returned to the area where she had discovered her pup to check if there were any other puppy siblings or the mom there who needed help. But it seemed that Nong Chom really had been there all along.
Thanks to Khemjira’s selfless actions, the puppy will never be alone again. He is now living in a safe home surrounded by love, and none of this would have been possible if one kindhearted marathon runner hadn’t decided to stop for him.
Watch Khemjira and Nong Chom run the race together in the video below!
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