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Saint Vincent coach Kevin Wanichko helps fellow runner finish Boston Marathon

Bill Beckner
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Fans cheer on the third wave of runners at the start of the 123rd Boston Marathon on Monday, April 15, 2019, in Hopkinton, Mass. (AP Photo/Stew Milne)

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.

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.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

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