Man carried across the marathon finish line thanks those who 'saved his life'

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BOSTON —
When his body said no more, two other runners carried him across the Boston Marathon finish line. 
 
Ari Ofsevit of Cambridge was so exhausted that he collapsed just 100 yards from the line Monday. But then two other runners, Jim Driscoll and Mitch Kies, helped him across, something Ofsevit says saved his life. 
 
"It really exemplifies, especially the Boston Marathon after 2013, that everyone is in this together no matter what happens," said Ofsevit, who is from Newton. 
Ofsevit actually doesn't remember being carried, crossing the finish line or anything beyond Kenmore Square. 
 
"My body knew that my legs wanted to keep going but they just weren't doing it so they sort of held me up," he said. 
 
A fathyer from Austin, Texas, Mitch Kies, spotted Ofsevit struggling and realized he was struggling. Ofsevit then collapsed, and Kies ran to his side. 
 
"I went over there to pick him up and let him know "hey you got this far, you've got to cross this finish line," said Kies. 
 
Ofsevit said if it wasn't for Kies and another stranger, Jim Driscoll of Philadelphia who stopped moment later, that he could have died. His body temperature had reached 108 degrees, the highest the medical tent had seen in years. 
 
"You have about 30 minutes before there's massive cellular breakdown and major organs - you're talking liver, kidneys and brain," Ofsevit said. 
 
 
He's an active runner and has run marathons in the past; he thinks what made this time different was that he ran without a shirt, it was very warm and he pushed himself too hard, trying to tun 7:20 miles. 
 
Ofsevit was so dehydrated that he ended up in the intensive care unit at Tufts Medical Center. He is still in the hospital recovering. 
 
 
Both Driscoll and Kies said they did what any runner would do. 
 
Ofsevit she he could be discharged Thursday. 
 

 

 

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