A marathon runner celebrated his finish a little too soon. His early victory dance ultimately cost him the win.
Videos by Wide Open Country
This moment unfolded near the finish line of the Delaware Marathon Running Festival on April 19. In the widely shared video, the runner raised his arms in triumph before he crossed the line.
What Happened at the Marathon?
Runners of the marathon, which took place in Wilmington, Delaware, move through the city's historic downtown area and along the Brandywine River and Jack Markell Trail. The race ends at Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park.
The runner, Carson Mello, should have looked behind him. Another strider, Joshua Jackson, just 50 yards away, had found his second wind and was making a final approach.
At the last possible moment, Jackson sprinted past Mello to win the race.
The person filming the finish can be heard screaming, "He got it! He got it!"
The 24-year-old Jackson, who resides in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, finished the race in 2:43:11. Mello was clocked in two seconds later.
Commenters Said Mello Strolled "Too Soon"
The video, which was captioned with the advice to "always finish strong," has garnered over 600,000 views. Commenters had a lot to say about the spectacular finish.
"Never celebrate til you cross the finish line!!!" one user wrote.
Another wrote, "He was taking that victory stroll too soon!"
"Gotta run through the tape my boy," commented another user.
Another marathon runner, New Jersey native Dr. Larry Grogin, doesn't have to worry about photo finishes as he runs 100 marathons in 100 days.
Grogin kicked off his journey on his 71st birthday last month. His goal is to arrive in Los Angeles on July 3 and raise awareness of Parkinson's Disease, which he was diagnosed with in 2019.
"I'm inspired to encourage other people to get out and move," said Grogin. "We say movement is medicine, and by that, we mean that whether you have a chronic neurological disease like I do, or you're healthy, movement is health-promoting and movement is medicine."
