Sometimes in sports, we can forget about everything but winning. But recently, one competition had a different outcome than normal, proving that sometimes winning isn’t everything.

Races are usually straightforward — runners train for these events and come prepared to win. On one recent sunny day though, a runner found herself in trouble just as the finish line was in sight. And how she pulled through and finished showed that, while running is about winning, it can also be about compassion and selflessness.

A young woman from Boston College had been determined to win the ACC Women’s Cross Country Championship, and yet suddenly found herself collapsing to the ground, weak and unable to make the final few steps. 

Madeline Adams told CBS Boston, “I was running the race of my life. I was doing incredibly well. I was coming up that hill (to the finish line), I started to feel really fatigued. All of a sudden, I get this wave that comes over me and my legs just truly gave out from underneath me. I had no control.”

I really don’t remember falling, I remember being on the ground and being like, ‘Why am I on the ground? Get up.’”

Drained, she sat and watched as other runners bolted by, her chances of finishing gone. Or so she thought.

Suddenly, a Clemson University runner stopped and attempted to pick her up by her arm. But Evie Tate struggled to pull Adams up. As both women were trying to raise Adams off the ground, another runner, Rachel Pease from Louisville, came by and snagged Adam’s other arm. 

Evie Tate and Rachel Pease help Madeline Adams up after she collapsed near the finish line. Photo by WolfpackXC

Together, the women managed to pull Adams up and, together, the trio made their way over the finish line. 

Even though the fall led to Adams being disqualified, she wasn’t upset. She found a silver lining in her loss thanks to her fellow runners. 

The great part that comes out of this is there are two amazing girls that helped me, who are completely selfless, and just amazing people with amazing character,” she told CBS Boston.

Adam’s teammates also found reason to celebrate the pair, rushing over to hug the two students who aided their friend. And out of 131 runners who finished, NBC Sports reported, Tate finished in 127th place, Pease in 128th.

Even first place winners, North Carolina State, took special notice of the athletes’ kindness. The team posted a photo of the three women, and tweeted, “Sportsmanship at its finest, a Clemson and a Louisville runner help a Boston College runner across the line.”

Watch the amazing display of friendship, below.

Sources: MyPositiveOutlooks | Daily Mail