What can a marathon race do? It can hurl countless challenges at the runners, testing every bit of their resolve. And what more can the 26.2-mile course add? Its grueling nature humbles even the strongest, making everyone feel like an ordinary Joe in the face of the obstacles. Yet, there’s a silver lining. On November 3, Landry Shamet shared an Instagram story capturing that uplifting moment. In his story, the shooting guard posted a photo of a middle-aged runner high-fiving a woman on the sidelines of the New York Marathon 2024—a beautiful reminder of the human spirit and the camaraderie that marathons inspire.

In the caption, he wrote, “Feeling inspired & proud to be a New Yorker today… Special seeing humanity convene, believe in & empower one another.” As per Shamet, that is the bright side of the marathon, bridging the gap between the ages and whatnot. Yet he might have felt disheartened to watch a scene on the same topic. The scene occurred at the 53rd New York Marathon, the same event where the New York Knicks member spotted humanity growing. But in the concerned scene, humanity came late, after a lot of refusals. Ultimately, that infuriated the track and field sports enthusiasts. 

The New York Marathon 2024 features a little one, working hard to preserve humanity

There is hardship, but there is also hope in the end. On Sunday, a little girl may have experienced this duality. All she wanted to do was hand a cup of water to the runners competing in the New York Marathon 2024. Standing at the side of the lane to avoid blocking the route, her wait continued to grow as no one took the cup she held. The reason? Perhaps her small stature failed to come into view for the runners, or maybe the crowd of volunteers and other children holding cups of water rendered her undetectable. But the little girl didn’t lose hope. She saw multiple faces ignoring her or smiling back, yet no runners accepted the cup of water from her. Seconds may have felt like minutes as the clock seemed to test her patience, but she remained steadfast in her mission. And then something spectacular happened.

Standing for minutes, the little girl saw someone accepting the cup from her. It was a fellow runner who stopped by to take the cup of water from her. Voila! That acceptance made the day for her. As soon as the runner received the cup from her, the ebullient kid erupted in joy. Along the side lane, she gamboled, displaying her radiant face. After all, she tasted the meaning of humanity after facing so many denials from others. However, her gesture turned a lot of eyes on her on X. The track and field fans clapped at her for doing a generous job in the New York Marathon. But they also felt irked over the behavior of the runners. On X, they chimed in with their criticisms. 

The track and field sports fans fail to hide their dissatisfaction over the combined behavior 

“How could they run by her,” someone penned on X, wondering about the exact reason. Seriously, the little girl waited for minutes for a runner to accept the cup from her. Had any runner accepted the cup from her earlier, she could have had extra fun. But the kid had to wait longer to fulfill her wish. Meanwhile, the runners ignored her gesture. Did they not feel thirsty? No, that is not the case. Yet they made the child wait, indirectly. Such behavior led to another fan lambasting the runners. 

The fan’s comment read, “I don’t like how they kept ignoring dis baby!!!!!”  Yes, the snippet shows a few runners spotting her in the crowd. Still, they didn’t take the cup from her. Did they already have water in their hands? No, not all. Then? Again, this silence makes space for criticism. In the meantime, an enthusiast hit deep with his/her comment. 

On X, a user wrote, “People who run marathons with no experience have accomplished nothing in life and only do so in order to give themselves a reason not to hate themselves A perfect example of absolutely useless sense of focus and low iq, avoiding a child for the sake of “time”, f___ off” A lack of focus on the environment could be a reason. The minute-long snippet shows several runners making their routes beside her, ignoring her physical presence. A lack of focus? No one would argue. However, someone chimed in, presenting a differnt scenario. 

In the comment box, the fan penned, “I wish she was at the Peachtree 10K, I would have taken the water from her and given her a high five, what is wrong with these runners!” So, not all long-distance runners are heartless. But a few of them could feel a lack of time to take the water from the kid. For such runners, someone put an order in the comment box, “someone take the damn water.” In the end, someone surely did and made the day for the kid at the New York Marathon 2024. What is your take on this incident? Let us know.