Compassionate cop helps struggling runner to the finish line

The two are being honored for "the intersection of health and compassion."

Marisa Kabas

IRL

Published Mar 23, 2015 Updated May 29, 2021, 6:12 am CDT

Asia Ford recently lost over 200 pounds. But when she set out on the Rodes City Run 10K race in Louisville on Saturday, she was presented with yet another difficult challenge: finishing the race.

Around the 4-mile mark, Ford began to feel sick. Local police officer Aubrey Gregory saw that the runner was struggling. “I’m not going to let her quit, so I got out and she immediately grabbed my hand,” Gregory told WHAS 11.

At that point, there were still two miles left in the race. But the ever-resilient Ford was determined to finish.

“He asked me if I wanted to stop and I was like, ‘No, we have two more miles to go,’” Ford, who was inspired to lose weight after her husband lost a limb to diabetes, told WHAS 11.

When the two approached the finish line, Gregory let go of Ford, allowing her to triumphantly cross the line on her own. Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer shared an inspiring photograph of the moment on Facebook.

[Placeholder for https://www.facebook.com/MayorGregFischer/posts/942128222484809 embed.]

Ford and Gregory were honored at Louisville Metro Hall on Monday for exemplifying “the intersection of health and compassion,” as Mayor Fischer put it.

H/T WHAS 11 | Illustration by Fernando Alfonso III

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*First Published: Mar 23, 2015, 1:36 pm CDT

Marisa Kabas

Marisa Kabas is a lifestyle reporter and activist. Her work has been published by Fusion, Fast Company, and Today. She’s also served as an editorial campaigns director for Purpose PBC, a social movement incubator.