Any marathon runner knows the arduous physical preparation and the effort involved in going to a race.

Many of them train for a long time to achieve maximum performance; however, sometimes there may be different obstacles to overcome, such as their own physical weakness, an injury, or external factors that they definitely did not count on.

Khemjira Klongsanun is a marathon runner who participated in the 42K race in Ratchaburi, Thailand.

The 43-year-old marathon runner started the race with the other athletes, when she suddenly noticed a strange movement of several runners next to a lump that caught her attention.

To her surprise, many of the athletes passed by and she could tell that what had interrupted the marathon runners was none other than an adorable Thai wolfdog   .

Though everyone else followed suit, and even resented that their run had been interrupted by a mere pup, Khemjira made all the difference.

Khemjira knew immediately that he would have to find out what was happening with the furry one, he didn’t mind slowing down, taking him in his arms and continuing to run with the little one while he searched the surroundings for his owner.

However, he soon realized that among the public cheering for the athletes there was no one to ask about the puppy, and there were no houses around which he could have escaped.

The puppy was lost or had been abandoned… It was a fact!

Without hesitating for a single second, he continued with the puppy in his arms. Although she was still 30 kilometers from the finish line, she stood her ground holding the pup as all the onlookers witnessed the adorable scene.

«It seemed to me that this little furry was lost. There were no houses, no other dogs, no people around. So I picked up the pup, if only to get him out of the unsafe environment,” the woman said.

The heroic marathon runner quickly became famous for her grandiose gesture and as soon as she reached the finish line she was applauded by thousands of people.

But his act for the day didn’t end there…

After no one had asked about the little one, she couldn’t help herself and decided to adopt him and name him “Nong Chom”, due to the name of the marathon.

The marathon runner recognized that the place where she found the pup was in the middle of nowhere and leaving it lying there would have meant that the poor Thai wolf pup would have had to fight to survive in the middle of the desert.

In this video you can watch the emotional moment in which this incredible woman runs with the puppy in her arms:

She also took him to the vet for a check up, he was so infested with fleas and ticks that they had to remove a large part of his fur.

Back home, she introduced him to the other dogs in her family, and Nong Chom certainly fits the bill.

The puppy that was once alone and adrift is now surrounded by love

Khemjira went further still, and just in case, he returned with Nong Chom to where he had found him. But, apparently, the most likely thing is that they would have abandoned it.

Now the cute Nong Chom spends his days with his new owner, who does not stop surrounding him with love and all the care he deserves.

Although it is not known how much time Khemjira lost in the race that day, the marathon bonded this pair for life. What this girl did for the little boy is priceless! Isn’t this great gesture of love wonderful?

May this great story of empathy and compassion serve to make everyone realize how great it is to open the doors of our hearts and our homes to an animal in need of love.