Kenyan marathon runner Hyvon Ngetich, 29, was chasing after a win in the Austin Marathon in Texas on February 15, 2015 when her body began to erupt in pain. She collapsed 50 meters from the finish.

Ngetich was obviously incapable of walking after hours of running but she still triumphed. Even when offered a wheelchair from nearby medical staff, she refused and began to crawl on all fours. As a result, she finished in third place. Ngetich’s perseverance was respected and rewarded.

Austin Marathon race director, John Conley, increased Ngetich’s prize money to be even with the second-place finisher, naming Ngetich as the toughest person on the planet.

“You ran the bravest race and crawled the bravest crawl I have ever seen in my life,” said Conley. “You have earned much honor.”

Although Ngetich’s valor is admired and celebrated, a sports medicine specialist, Dr. Laura Goldberg at Cleveland Clinic, told ABC News that the choice she made is not recommended to other runners. As an alternative, Goldberg suggests looking for vital signs to know when to stop and not push yourself past your limits.

“For the non-elite crowd,” said Goldberg, “there should never be a reason why a runner should crawl to the finish.”

When asked about the controversy, Ngetich told BBC World Service Radio in an interview she doesn’t even “remember what happened.”

All in all, Ngetich earned a personal victory by finishing the marathon with a time of (3:04:02.68). She told the local Austin news, KEYE TV, that she didn’t quit because, in running, you must persist to the finish.

“Running, always,” said Ngetich, “you have to keep going.”