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Spectators gasp as father carries 7-month-old son with Down Syndrome across marathon finish line

Scientist Robby Ketchell was snapped carrying his 7-month-old son across the finish line at the New York marathon to raise funds for research

The New York City Marathon, which happens to be the largest and one of the most prestigious marathons in the world, attracts well over 50,000 participants every year from varied backgrounds. This year, it would be scientist Robby Ketchell who would become the talk of the race for an incredibly moving and heartwarming gesture. 

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Some moments rattle your brain to the point that you forget how to do what you’ve been trained to do. While waiting for my extraordinary friend David to cross the finish line of the #NYCMarathon, this beautiful sight happened right in front of me and I was admittedly too stunned (and nearly ugly-crying) to ask for their names. This fella, who I now know is Robby Ketchell (thanks some super-sleuthing by my kindergarten pal, @polly_goes) carried his sleeping baby, Wyatt (@tour_de_wyatt) across the finish line. I posted this photo to Instagram and Twitter looking for the pair, with no idea of the unbelievably inspiring story I would find in locating them. Please read it via the link in my profile and/or go to The Ketchell’s @CrowdRise page (link below). ****THANK YOU @runnersworldmag for the piece, Polly for finding this family, The Ketchells and Wyatt for being who you are, and David (@djevotovsky) for being the absolutely heroic person he is and the reason I was there...the reason I got to witness this beautiful sight (and the even more wonderful sight of you, sir, running). I’m crying for a whole lot of reasons. ❤️ to donate, visit https://www.crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/lumind-research-down-syndrome-foundation-nyc-2018/robbyketchell

A post shared by Elizabeth Griffin (@zabelita) on Nov 5, 2018 at 7:06pm PST

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