North Dakota runner carries injured competitor across finish line

Danielle LeNoue thought she was out of the EDC Cross Country Championship race on Saturday, October 11, just as she was approaching the finish line, but then she got an unexpected boost from a competitor.She told KMBC, "It was past the 2-mile mark, close to the finish line...It happened instantly and felt like a pop in my knee, down I went. My left leg."

That's Devils Lake Senior Melanie Bailey underneath LeNoue. The North Dakota teens don't go to the same school, but that didn't matter. Bailey just wanted to do the right thing and so she carried LeNoue across the finish line.

"Just sobbing and so I started walking and I could not go any farther and she said here hop on my back. She picked me up. She was half my size," LeNoue said.

"It's just a race, that's the thing. A person is forever. A race just lasts 25 minutes," Baily explained.

After the race, Bailey carried her another 300 feet to get medical attention. The two girls have remained friends since the event and Bailey says she hopes to pursue a career in physical therapy.