Marine crawls across Boston Marathon finish line in stunning display of strength

Marine veteran Micah Herndon stunned onlookers at the Boston Marathon when he stumbled and fell but refused to give up without finishing the historic race on Monday.

Footage of the astonishing feat, captured and shared on Twitter by professional runner Dana Giordano, quickly went viral, racking up more than 600K views in less than a day.

Giordano, who has run for over 10 years and recently signed a professional running contract with the Boston Athletic Association and Adidas Running leading into the 2020 Olympic USA trials, told AOL.com that she was fortunate enough to have an incredible view of the race because her running club sponsored the marathon.

"We had finish line passes about 10 meters from the finish," she explained.

"Around 1:30, the masses started rolling in and it got very hot and humid out. I was having a conversation when I saw Herndon army crawling about 30m from the finish," she continued. "He kept attempting to get up but was clutching his leg and then began the long crawl. You can hear my screams from the video and we all were yelling so loudly for him."

To Herndon, who was a lead machine-gunner in the United States Marine Corps' "Lava Dogs" division, finishing the marathon meant much more than a personal triumph. The veteran told the Record-Courrier that he runs to find peace and solitude amid his struggles with post traumatic stress disorder and also to commemorate his fallen comrades.

Specifically, Herndon says he runs to honor three friends who died in a bombing attack in Afghanistan; Mark Juarez and Matthew Ballard, both Marines, and Rupert Hamer, a journalist.

"I run in honor of them," Herndon told the outlet. "They are not here anymore. I am here, and I am able. I am lucky to still have all my limbs. I can still be active. I find fuel in the simple idea that I can run. Some cannot."

Giordano told AOL.com that, at first, she was simply impressed by Herndon's athleticism — but after Sports Illustrated shared her footage on social media, a few of Herndon's friends began tweeting his interview with the Record-Courrier to her, and her impression quickly turned to awe.

"I couldn’t believe it," she said, adding that the Marine began his crawl directly in front of a memorial set up to honor those lost during the bombing attacks on the Boston Marathon in 2013.

Giordano says she feels overwhelming respect and admiration for Herndon over his refusal to give up, a sense of duty many athletes can relate to.

"As a runner, I know that feeling of running for something bigger than yourself," she told AOL.com. "When you are running for a cause, team, anything you have a will that can not be stopped."

"It was incredibly moving," she added of Herndon's brave finish. "Thank you, Micah, for your service and commitment to the sport and Boston Marathon."

Scenes from the 2019 Boston Marathon: