A Marine veteran said all he was thinking about as he crawled to the finish of the Boston Marathon was the men who died after an attack on their convoy in Afghanistan nine years ago. Their names were written on his hand, his shoes and his race bib. They were the inspiration, Micah Herndon said, when he first started running to escape the horrors of war. Herndon said he never considered giving up even when his legs started giving out about 4 miles (6 kilometres) from the end of the race Monday. "That was the longest 4.2 miles I've ever run in my life," said Herndon, who's from Tallmadge, Ohio. He said his military training kicked in when he dropped to his hands and knees and crawled, at times pulling himself on his stomach, for the final 100 yards (91 metres). "It was kind of second nature," he said Tuesday, a day after finishing his third marathon. "They instil 'adapt and overcome.' Any situation you're in, that's what you do." During the marathon, Herndon, 31, said he repeated the names of three men -- Marines Mark Juarez and Matthew Ballard and British journalist Rupert Hamer -- mile after mile. Juarez and Hamer were killed when a roadside bomb exploded in January 2010. Ballard, who was severely injured, died after returning home. Herndon was in that convoy, but his vehicle wasn't hit. Repeating their names is something Herndon does when he's training or competing in a race, even when he gets strange looks from other runners. Herndon, who was injured in another blast in 2010, got into running after coming home as a way to deal with post-traumatic stress. He hopes he can inspire other veterans. "It's hard to reintegrate into society and be a civilian," he said. "My message to other veterans is to find whatever your release is. My release happens to be running."<doc-sep>Micah Herndon crosses the finish line of the Boston Marathon on his hands and knees, without assistance, after his legs locked at mile 22. (Photo: Getty Images/ Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff) A Marine who had been deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan ran the Boston Marathon on Sunday in honor of three of his fallen comrades, but as he was nearing the finish line, both of his legs gave out. Determined to complete the race, he crawled the rest of the way to victory — and video of the dramatic finish is going viral on social media. Micah Herndon of Tallmadge, Ohio miraculously survived a devastating attack from a 50-pound improvised explosive device (IED) during the 2010 Invasion of Marjah in Afghanistan, but three of his best friends — Mark Juarez, Matthew Ballard and Rupert Hamer, fellow members of Herndon’s marine division, Lava Dogs — tragically did not. Upon returning home, Herndon began running as an outlet for his post-traumatic stress, he told Yahoo Lifestyle. Want daily pop culture news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo’s newsletter. “Shortly after [returning home], as all veterans do, I had a hard time for a couple of years,” Herndon said. “It was pretty tough, and I had my up and downs, but I always worked out. I’d really gotten in touch with doing cardio, and running especially took me to a place that had a sense of healing.” Herndon started by running three miles a day, but as he became hooked on the adrenaline rush, his daily distance increased. Each time he ran, Herndon would repeat the names Juarez, Ballard and Hamer. “I know it sounds crazy,” he said, and admitted he would sometimes get weird looks as he said the mantra out loud while training. But he did it anyway, he said, to remind himself why he’s running. “I say their names and that’s my way of just knowing it could be worse,” he said, referring to “the pain that they went through and their families went through.” Story continues Running in his friends’ honor definitely kept him going. By 2016, Herndon had completed his first half-marathon, and in 2017, he completed his second. Then he went on to finish two full marathons, both in Ohio, in 2018. During his first full race, he’d qualified for the 2019 Boston Marathon. But he never technically started training. “I’m new to this whole running thing, so I don’t really have a training schedule. I just do what I always do,” he said, which is to run for a target distance of 50 miles per week. “I don’t know if it’s the wrong way or right way.” At the Boston Marathon on Monday, Herndon said he was focused on making good time so he’d qualify for the New York Marathon. True to form, he also declared he would be running the 26.2 miles in honor of his fallen friends. Whenever he felt like giving up, he said, he would repeat their names. The race started off with a bang for Herndon, and all was still going well 20 miles in, as evidenced by a video posted on Facebook by the Marine’s wife, Sarah. In the clip, Herndon is still on his feet — in red sneakers bearing the last names of his three friends on the laces — but looking worn down as he runs past the camera to cheers from the crowd. But near mile 22, Herndon’s legs suddenly cramped up and locked. “After mile 22 my miles decreased in time dramatically,” he told Yahoo Lifestyle, “and from that point on I knew I wasn’t going to finish the race in my goal time.” His goal then shifted to simply completing the race — and without anyone’s help. By the time he was within 100 yards of the finish line, though, Herndon’s legs finally gave out completely. He dropped to his knees, but refused the help of nearby volunteers, insisting on finishing the race without assistance. “I had no control over my legs,” Herndon said. “The next option was to crawl, and then my right hamstring locked up so I did the low crawl. Eventually my hamstring loosened up so I was able to crawl [normally] again. Anyway you look at it, I had to push forward.” Herndon — surrounded by race volunteers and a cheering crowd — finally dragged himself over the yellow line, finishing the race in three hours and 38 minutes. As soon as he had officially completed the marathon, Herndon was intercepted by emergency workers and lifted into a wheelchair to seek medical attention. Micah Herndon does a low-to-the-ground Army crawl to cross the finish line. (Photo: Getty Images/Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff) Video of Herndon’s heroic victory at the Boston Marathon is now capturing hearts throughout the world. “You think this guy isn’t finishing despite what his body tells him? This is guts personified,” wrote journalist Darren Rovell on Twitter. “Inspiration comes in many forms and often actions speak far louder than words can. This guy is the true definition of ‘never say die,'” tweeted another. Luckily, Herndon didn’t sustain any serious injuries during the race. He told Yahoo Lifestyle it was just a matter of improper hydration and nutrition. “I’ve got to figure out this carb-loading thing,” he joked, and said he was also not properly hydrated, but “I was definitely pushing fluid.” Herndon added that he was disappointed in his time, but intends on trying to qualify for the New York Marathon on Nov. 3 anyway — and next time, in addition to three friends, he’ll have an entire nation giving him strength. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.<doc-sep>Send this page to someone via email A U.S. Marine, running for three of his fallen comrades, refused to let his tired, exhausted body prevent him from completing the Boston Marathon on Monday, crawling on his hands and knees across the finish line. Micah Herndon, a former Marine from Ohio, competed in the marathon to pay tribute to three men he fought alongside in Afghanistan. The men died in a 2010 attack. “For some reason, I am still here,” Herndon told the Record-Courier. Dealing with post-war demons, Herndon explained to the newspaper he used running as an outlet to help cope with post-traumatic stress disorder. He eventually began to training to run marathons, using his dead comrades as inspiration. View image in full screen Micah Herndon, a former Marine from Ohio, crawls down Boylston Street towards the finish line of the 123rd Boston Marathon on April 15, 2019. Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images “I run in honour of them,” Herndon told the Record-Courier. “They are not here anymore. I am here, and I am able. I am lucky to still have all my limbs. I can still be active. I find fuel in the simple idea that I can run. Some cannot.” Story continues below advertisement WATCH: Inspirational runners who crossed the finish line 1:27 Boston Marathon: inspirational runners who crossed the finish line Boston Marathon: inspirational runners who crossed the finish line – Apr 16, 2019 On Monday, Herndon’s legs gave out around the 22-mile marker, dropping the man to the pavement. Powerful video shows the former Marine wincing in pain as he slowly crawls on his hands and knees towards the finish line. View image in full screen Micah Herndon, a former Marine from Ohio, crawls down Boylston Street towards the finish line of the 123rd Boston Marathon on April 15, 2019. Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images “The pain that I was going through is nothing compared to the pain that they went through,” Herndon told CBS following the race. Story continues below advertisement Herndon completed the marathon with a time of three hours and 38 minutes, all doing so with the last names of his fallen comrades written on his hand, and printed on tags attached to his shoes. “If I get a heat cramp while running or my feet hurt or I am getting exhausted, I just keep saying their names out loud to myself,” Herndon told the Record-Courier. “They went through much worse, so I run for them and their families.”<doc-sep>
A Marine who ran the Boston Marathon in honor of three men he served alongside crawled across the finish line on Monday as his body almost gave up — but his mind didn't. Micah Herndon, 31, ran the race in 3 hours and 38 minutes, according to race results. But to hit that mark, he had to physically drag his body along the pavement to finish the race. PAUL BATURA: HOW 23 FAILURES LED ME TO WINNING AT THE BOSTON MARATHON Herndon, of Ohio, served several deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Record-Courier reported. During a tour in Afghanistan in 2010, three people he was with were killed when they were targeted by an IED. Marines Mark Juarez and Matthew Ballard, and Rupert Hamer, a British journalist, died. He said he ran the Boston Marathon on Sunday for them. “I run in honor of them. They are not here anymore. I am here, and I am able," Herndon told the news outlet. "I am lucky to still have all my limbs. I can still be active. I find fuel in the simple idea that I can run. Some cannot." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP He said that despite his small plights — whether his feet hurt or he's tired from running — he reminds himself why he continues, in true "Semper Fi" fashion. "I just keep saying their names out loud to myself. They went through much worse, so I run for them and their families.” In a Facebook post, Herndon shared a photo of a pair of orange Nike sneakers, but with a sentimental detail: three small golden plates featuring the names of Juarez, Ballard and Hamer are weaved in with the shoelaces. The plates served as a reminder to Herndon of why he keeps running. Videos posted online Monday show Herndon kept his word. Close to the end, he crawled to the finish line, finishing the race 11,334 overall.