'I can't leave her alone, I have to help her' Student helps runner cross finish line

BATESVILLE, Ark. (KAIT) – Crossing the finish line is the moment runners dream about. It’s what a father thought he was filming. Instead, he captured a bigger moment.

Robert Montgomery captured the moment his daughter Kaylee stopped to help another runner who was going down during the final stretch of a race.

Kaylee was running the final race of her high school career and was in the final stretch when she saw another student on the ground.

“As soon as I saw her, I thought, I can’t leave her as I thought, I have to help her,” she said.

Montgomery tried to finish on her personal best, but that was the last thing on her mind as she helped Julia, a runner whose legs gave out just before the finish line.

“I then told my parents that if I fell and couldn’t get up, Jesus wouldn’t pass me by, and that he would pick me up,” she said.

Montgomery took Julia by the arm and helped her across the finish line. Montgomery said that even though they were both tired, she knew exactly how they would cross the finish line.

“I kept repeating, Lord, give her strength, and then encouraging her, saying, You understand this, you can persevere. We’re almost there, just a little while longer,” she said.

Her father captured the moment, saying he expected his daughter to cross the finish line for the last time.

“There are people doing things every day that are amazing that just aren’t captured on camera. This just happened. I just have to be lucky to catch this. And of course she’s younger, which makes it special. She’s also my daughter, which makes it special for me. But I guess I realize that there are a lot of people doing great things for others, and this is just one of them,” he said.

Her coach Stan Fowler watched her as she helped Julia. He said the moment brought tears to his eyes.

“It speaks volumes about what competition really is. You know, you have winners and losers, but that’s a winner. I don’t care where you would have ended up; she was a winner,” he said.

Her father posted the video on TikTok and has been viewed more than 300,000 times. Montgomery said she will remember the race forever, but she said the moment is not about her.

“Not that it was me, that I could help her, but I show the light of Jesus and how He helped me, to show that through my own actions, by helping someone else.”

Fowler said Montgomery has received several scholarship offers since the video went viral.

In a statement, Julia, the student who helped Kaylee, said:

“I had one of my best seasons this year and I was hoping to finish it strong with the State Championship. Over the past two years I have been in the top ten and that was my goal again this year. I was on track to accomplish that by the second mile, but I started feeling the buildup of lactic acid in my legs. I’ve never experienced that before. I slowed down, but eventually my legs gave out and I couldn’t hold myself up anymore. Then Kaylee came along. I really appreciate her helping me cross the finish line. I didn’t mind being disqualified. I was just happy that I was able to get medical care and recover! Kaylee was very selfless in helping her up. She lost a higher state place in her senior year! She really shows the great team spirit in cross country in Arkansas.

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