A local woman running the Chicago Marathon this weekend finished the race and helped a kitten in the process, rescuing the small animal from the side of the course late in the race.
Sarah Bohan lives in Beacon Hill and works as a social worker at Boston Children’s Hospital. One day after she rescued the kitten near Mile 21 of the Chicago Marathon, Bohan spoke to 7NEWS about the experience.
“The cat looked very thin and was crying,” she said. “The fur was matted.”
“I was like, ‘OK my personal record is going out the window if I stop and walk with this cat because I don’t have any other option right now,’” she continued. “And then that became my job for the rest of the race.”
Bohan was running the marathon for TEAM PAWS Chicago, a charity dedicated to rescuing cats and dogs.
“This charity was something that was already passionate enough to me without knowing I was going to stumble on a cat in the first place,” she said.
After finding the cat, Bohan and another good Samaritan walked for almost a mile to find someone to take care of their new furry friend.
Eventually, Bohan said she and the other good Samaritan found two women who took the cat in.
Their journey, though, did not end there. As they neared the finish line, Bohan said the two found a woman collapsed on the course.
“We got on either side of her and we carried her through the finish line together, so all of us crossed the finish line together,” Bohan said.
In this race, while she missed out on a personal record, Bohan said she earned so much more.
“You’re taking in the energy of the crowds and the spectators, I’m helping a cat and I’m helping this woman cross the finish line and that’s what it’s really about,” she said. “Yes, it’s amazing to get a personal record. Yes, it’s amazing to have that glory. But it’s not what it’s always about and I think I really was able to experience that first-hand yesterday.”
Bohan is now looking forward to taking on another marathon a little closer to home as she plans to run the Boston Marathon next year.
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