A Dad Is Being Blamed After A 'Marathon Mom' Ignored Her Kids As She Crossed The Finish Line
"Let her have her moment!"
Ground Picture / Shutterstock As a woman was just seconds away from running across the finish line of a 26-mile race, her husband, who was standing on the sidelines, unleashed their two children onto the race course to chase after their mom, attempting to get her attention.
As the woman crossed the finish line and celebrated her achievement with other runners cheering her on, her husband stood in the background with the kids, his arms up in anguish over the fact that his wife completely ignored their children.
Thankfully, other women have rallied around the mother, defending her actions during what was meant to be her big moment — not her husband’s or children’s.
The woman crossed the marathon finish line as her husband sent their kids to chase after her and dart in the way.
A video clip posted on TikTok that has garnered millions of views depicts the heart-stopping moment a woman crossed the finish line in first place at an undisclosed race.
As the woman picked up speed to claim her victory, a man standing on the sidelines with two children, who appeared to be the woman’s husband, deliberately placed the two children in her path.
While the woman was thankfully able to dodge the children, they chased after her with their arms outstretched, obviously looking for their mother’s attention.
Still, the woman was able to cross the finish line, as she pumped her fist in the air, cheering and clapping for herself. Another runner embraced her to congratulate her on her big win.
Others were also cheering for the woman, but one person was noticeably not by her side: her husband. Instead, the man stood in the background, appearing to be hurt and confused that his wife did not acknowledge the children. One of the little girls covered her face and buried herself into her father’s side, seemingly upset that her mother ignored her.
While the man was obviously not thrilled with the way she celebrated her victory, countless supporters congratulated her on her win and defended her for running right past her children.
“Let her have her moment!” one TikTok user commented. “You can do this after the finish line. To me, it’s dismissing the work she put in,” another user wrote.
“What a huge accomplishment for her. For ONCE can we not interrupt a mom and let her have her darn deserved moment!” another user noted.
Others could not help but point out that if the roles were reversed, it would be an entirely different situation.
“If that was a man playing football with the homies, $500 was on the line… and your baby mama got your two kids running out onto the football field right before he was about to score a touchdown, you [expletives] would be having a field day on social media,” TikTok user @_tendaoxtails said in a video.
“The racing track is off limits to everybody who [is] not [expletive] running. That includes enthusiastic babies who want to hug their mothers.”
Many women argued that it was unfair to claim that the mother 'ignored' her children given the circumstances.
Instead, they placed the entire blame on the woman’s husband for allowing their children onto the race course and setting them up to be disappointed that their mother didn’t notice them.
“It’s not fair. It was easily avoidable with one ounce of thought from her partner,” TikTok user @cynthiajwheeler shared in a video. “She was literally steps away from winning a MARATHON, and he put the children between her and the tape.”
Therapist Israa Nasir attempted to unpack the entire situation, explaining both the woman and her husband’s actions and why she believes it unfolded the way it did.
While she acknowledged that many people assumed the husband was trying to steal his wife's thunder, this may not have been the case. “There is a world where his intention was very nice,” Nasir says. “[Maybe] he wanted to involve his children in the win, and maybe his intention was to create a really nice family memory.”
That being said, it was not the right moment for the husband to attempt to distract his wife.
“He has now created a family memory that is horrible. He put his children in a position where they felt rejected by their mom, and he put his wife…in an impossible situation where she had to choose between finishing her marathon or stopping for her kids,” Nasir shared.
She also pointed out the harsh expectations that society projects onto mothers, using this incident as a prime example.
“She is being vilified on the internet because she didn’t stop for her kids, as though she’s not allowed to desire a marathon win,” she said.
The mother undoubtedly spent grueling hours training and preparing herself for this marathon. It was within her right to have a selfish celebratory moment.
“As though the outcomes of her desire don’t matter in the face of her children. I don’t think that’s a fair way to expect anybody to live,” Nasir added.
Teaching children that their mothers should always put their goals on hold for them also sends the wrong message and only perpetuates the societal pressures mothers already have to endure.
vgajic / Canva Pro
Even if she is a mother, a woman can hold many titles, including a winning marathon runner.
Just because mothers have interests and hobbies apart from their children does not make them bad parents. It makes them human.
The hard reality is that it takes so little to be considered a “good dad,” but moms, saddled with the bulk of childcare responsibilities, are regularly put under a microscope for every move they make.
The woman’s husband could have easily been waiting for her with their children at the finish line to celebrate instead of nearly costing her the moment she worked so hard for.
In fact, it could have been a very good teaching moment for the children. Sometimes it's important to let other people be the center of attention — even moms.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.