Marine Finishes 5K Race With Stranded Boy, Loses Deliberately To Help Struggling 9-Year-Old Who Fell Behind

A nine-year-old boy who got lost during a charity 5k race found a kind Marine to come to his rescue.

A photo of the event has gone viral on Facebook.

The boy, Boden Fuchs, was separated from his group during the charity 5k run in Charlevoix, Mich.

He was confused and lost when he suddenly realized that all the familiar faces around him were gone.

He saw 19-year-old Lance Cpl. Myles Kerr nearby and asked a simple, heartfelt question.

"Sir? Will you please run with me?," he said.

Kerr ran with his new running mate for the rest of the marathon-making it so that he actually finished with the slowest time in his age category. In fact, his team of other Marines was about to head back for him, fearing injury due to the fact that he had a backpack and military gear on.

Their Facebook page says:

Several minutes after the other Marines he was with had finished, Lcpl Kerr still had not crossed the line. They feared his extreme level of motivation may have caused him injury and/or fatigue resulting in him dropping out of the race. Moments before they ran back through the course to recover their fellow Marine, Lcpl Kerr came around the last turn along with this small boy.

Awww. Kerr's heroism would be enough to make any bystander cheer.

At several points, Fuchs, the stranded boy, was exhausted and wanted to quit. But Kerr not only lead him on the right path-he gave him motivation to get there.

In the end, the little boy finished the race-just in front of the Marine.