Friends to the finish: Inspirational teens run hand-in-hand at Special Olympics race
Two 14-year-old friends, Max and Marvin, crossed the finish line together in a 50m race at a Special Olympics event in New York.
Max and Marvin, two 14-year-olds at North Rose-Wolcott High School in New York, had never run a race together. But at a local Special Olympics event recently, the two friends crossed the line together at the end of the 50m event, hand-in-hand.
@JoeyPogoda explanation behind this was max wanting to finish the race with his best friend Marvin who was falling behind in the race
— Joey Pogoda (@JoeyPogoda) May 14, 2016
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After the whistle to signal the start of the race was blown, Max noticed that Marvin was a few steps behind. Max noticeably slowed down to allow Marvin to catch up and the two proceeded to finish the race together. The two met in grade school.
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Max has fragile x syndrome, a genetic condition that affects development, and Marvin is in the autism spectrum at North Rose-Walcott, according to local news network 13WHAM. Joey Pogoda posted the video on Twitter and Instagram on May 14 but the race was run in early May.
Max helping his best friend Marvin finish the race at special Olympics❤️ pic.twitter.com/Xeb1xh4Thk
— Joey Pogoda (@JoeyPogoda) May 6, 2016
The original video now has more than 1,600 retweets and 2,000 likes on the social media platform. Max’s mother, Diane Pogoda, told 13WHAM after the race that “kids see no barriers — race, friendship, competition. It’s just about love.”
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