Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Photos Go Viral After Kentucky Police Officer Helps Woman Finish 10K Race
KTLA ^ | MARCH 22, 2015

Posted on 03/23/2015 12:21:06 PM PDT by nickcarraway

A series of photographs have gone viral after the inspiring end of a 10K race Saturday in Kentucky.

The photos do not depict the winner of the event, or even a medal ceremony.

They show Asia Ford, determined not to give up, crossing the finish line — hand-in-hand with the two people who inspired her to continue: her son and an officer from the Louisville Metro Police Department.

“When you see the photo, just know that you’re worth it and you can do anything that you can do anything that you put your mind to,” said Ford, who is now 217 pounds lighter than she was two years ago. She has been on a journey to strong and healthy for her three children.

“I just knew that all of those time that we went to the doctor’s office and the doctor told us what could have happened, I wasn’t going to let that happen to me,” Ford said.

Quitting was not an option for Ford during Louisville’s annual Rodes City Run, she said. But after about 5 miles, with just over a mile to go, she began to wonder if she could finish.

“My breath was kind of like, it felt like it was taken from me,” she said.

That’s when emergency medical services personnel became concerned.

“The EMS guys got out and talked to her, went to check on her,” said police Lt. Aubrey Gregory. “And she was like, ‘I’m not stopping. I’m not stopping.’ So she kept going.”

According to Ford, the police officer asked her: “You’re going to finish the race, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” she replied.

“And I said I’m not going to let her stop. We’re going to do this together,” said Gregory, who then got out of his vehicle. “She grabbed my hand. I grabbed her hand.”

Holding hands with her son and Gregory, Ford finished the race.

“Watching her go across that line, raising her hands, I felt that all over,” the officer said. “It was a great moment.”


TOPICS: Health/Medicine; Sports
KEYWORDS:
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-31 last
To: chris37; Kartographer

Thanks for your feedback. Good to hear your view. You are correct the picture is not void of meaning, but I guess it is what we are called to do. It is a great picture, but for many I would hope this would be our routine response.


21 posted on 03/23/2015 1:12:00 PM PDT by Obadiah (Wind turbines, aka: bird choppers, cause earthquakes due to their harmonic frequencies.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: Obadiah

To be honest, I am surprised at my own reaction to it.

I can be pretty harsh, and I feel calloused these days because of recent events in our country. Some days I feel wound up like a rubber band over it.

But I think when I, hmm I’m not exactly sure how to word it so here goes, stop looking at things in a broad brush style and look at people individually as one does look at these three people in this picture, then humanity returns.

I mean, generally speaking, I’m really mad at black people. Let me be blunt about it. But am I mad at this woman in this picture, or the young man helping her, or the police officer helping her?

No, I am proud of them.


22 posted on 03/23/2015 1:20:59 PM PDT by chris37 (Heartless)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: Obadiah

The “points” of this article and photo, to me, are:

1) She worked so hard to lose over 200 pounds
2) She worked so hard to run in the 10K and was determined to finish it
3) Her son and the officer helped her
4) It is all about celebrating

Maybe it is too “ordinary” for you to celebrate. I often think that we miss too many chances in life, to celebrate “ordinary” things and that often the “ordinary things” are what really sustain us over the years.

JMHO


23 posted on 03/23/2015 1:26:12 PM PDT by NEMDF
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: Obadiah
Sad this is considered newsworthy. My guess .....

Since when is publishing good stuff not newsworthy? Are you so addicted to bad news that you would actually criticize this event?

24 posted on 03/23/2015 1:31:08 PM PDT by Hot Tabasco (Uncle Sy: "Beavers are like Ninjas, they only come out at night and they're hard to find")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Obadiah

.
Sad that it takes crap for you to consider something ‘newsworthy.’

You must be a miserable person to be around!
.


25 posted on 03/23/2015 1:31:41 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Freepers: Not as smart as I'd hoped they'd be)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Yaelle

It was a Marathon for this at the time, 63 year-old man. It was 82 degrees in the shade, a little warmer on the asphalt, at the 20-mile mark the finish line was only a block away...I said to my 10-year grandson who had joined me at the 17-mile marker to complete the task at hand...: “It’s hot, we can just go down here and be done....” his response continues to bounce around in my mind today: “You can’t quit, Papaw...” and so we didn’t quit. An achievement of a lifetime!


26 posted on 03/23/2015 1:37:03 PM PDT by jennings2004 ("What difference, at this point, does it make!"!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: NEMDF; Jewbacca

Yes, we should indeed celebrate this touch of humanity. It is a good thing.


27 posted on 03/23/2015 1:38:19 PM PDT by Obadiah (Wind turbines, aka: bird choppers, cause earthquakes due to their harmonic frequencies.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: editor-surveyor

I appreciate your invective. Your example is not unexpected.


28 posted on 03/23/2015 1:41:08 PM PDT by Obadiah (Wind turbines, aka: bird choppers, cause earthquakes due to their harmonic frequencies.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: Obadiah

.
Yours was!

.


29 posted on 03/23/2015 1:42:27 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Freepers: Not as smart as I'd hoped they'd be)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

I like this picture

30 posted on 03/23/2015 1:50:29 PM PDT by BookmanTheJanitor
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kartographer
I am inspired are seeing in real time two of the Lords commandments being obeyed.

The son:

"Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee." Exodus 20:11

And for the Police Officer:

"And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Matthew 22:39

To all

Do to others as you would have them do to you....Luke 6:31

31 posted on 03/23/2015 2:09:47 PM PDT by spokeshave (He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people,)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-31 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson