When high school runner Axel Aleman saw Levi LaGrange injure himself during a race last weekend, he stopped to help, knowing that while it meant he wouldn't finish with one of his better times, it was the right thing to do.
Aleman, a senior, and LaGrange, a sophomore, were running a 5K in the Southwestern Small School Invitational in Shelbyville, Indiana. With about half a mile left to go, LaGrange felt his ankle roll as he ran up a hill. "It was like it popped out of place real quick," he told the Indianapolis Star. Aleman was right behind him, and could see that he was limping and in pain.
Other runners were flying past, but Aleman stopped to offer his help. "As soon as I saw him, I knew I had to do something," Aleman said. "It just seemed like the right thing to do. That mattered more than the race. I told him I wasn't going to leave." He put his hand on LaGrange's back for support, and helped him the rest of the way. At the finish line, he let LaGrange cross first, so he came in 57th place, followed by Aleman in 58th.
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Aleman and LaGrange didn't know each other before the race, but left having formed a bond. "He has amazing character," LaGrange told the Indianapolis Star. "He stopped and sacrificed his own time to help someone else. I really admire him and what he did."
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