Marathon runner sacrifices personal best to help stray kitten seen at the halfway mark

One selfless marathon runner sacrificed a personal best run to save a stray kitten that wandered onto the sidelines of a race.

PEOPLE reported that 26 year old Boston resident Sarah Bohan, competing in the Chicago Marathon, had a slight curveball or fur ball - god, i’m good - thrown her way when she was distracted by an abandoned kitten on the sidewalk.

Despite being on track to beat her personal best, Bohan told the outlet that all went out the window to care for the creature.

PAWS Chicago

"It had to have been one pound, the fur was matted, it had marks underneath its eyes from not being well kept, and it was just crying," she said, adding no one noticed the creature wandering.

"I turned around and scooped up the cat."

Bohan knew she couldn’t run and hold the furry feline as she didn’t want to injure it.

PAWS Chicago

Thankfully, fellow runner Gia Nigro saw her pick up the kitten and joined the rescue mission.

"I didn't care about my time, this was my sole focus, and that just shifted my race entirely for the better," she continued.

The two runners kept asking spectators if anyone would take the cat off their hands.

Finally, after a mile, two mums agreed.

"I must have asked them about five times to confirm that they would care and love this cat," she said.

Despite Bohan not breaking any personal records, she completed the race with a time of 3:31:35 - around 19 minutes off from her personal best.

And crazy enough, the runner was actually one of 482 people running for Paws Chicago, an animal shelter committed to ending the killing of homeless cats and dogs.

However, she said that her finding that cat was merely a coincidence.

But despite the race not turning out as expected, she still has no regrets.

"The obligation of human compassion just kind of kicks in instinctually, and I didn't care about the race at that point. I was just like, 'This cat needs someone, and I might have to be that person. And I'm okay with that because that's my responsibility,’” she added.

Well, not all heroes wear capes.

Topics: News, Animals, Cats

Charisa Bossinakis

Charisa Bossinakis is an Associative Journalist at LADbible. Charisa has worked across various media platforms including, print, digital, radio and podcasting while maintaining the highest regard for quality work and integrity. She also covered everything from breaking news, to pop culture, entertainment and politics and is part of the editorial team for LADbible.

@CBossinakis