Runners are tremendous athletes who spend grueling hours training for intense races. Marathon runners are an exceptionally dedicated group whose bodies are primed for long distances and reaching the finish line. It doesn't matter what your age; there is nothing quite like being the winner of a race and breaking the tape and the end.
Guess what? That means moms, too. We like to do other things beyond just being a mom sometimes, maybe even win a race or two. Why do we bring this up? A viral TikTok video caught our eye and the eyes of 11.6 million other people who were pretty darn dumbfounded by what they saw.
In the video posted by @sinomar_reporter, a mom is seconds from crossing the finish line of a marathon first when a man, who we assume is her husband, thrusts their children toward the mother to give her a hug. Had she not dodged them, it could have cost her the race. Was it a tender moment or someone trying to steal the spotlight? It's a lot to take in.
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The mom was in front by a very narrow margin.
Another runner was nipping at her heels, and they were only a few feet from the finish line. The mom is giving it her all when a man on the sidelines pushes two children into her path, seemingly to give her a congratulatory hug. But this woman had her eyes on the prize, so she ducked and kept going, ultimately winning the race.
She's elated at the end and yells excitedly, but her children appear dejected on the sideline, and the man throws his arms up as if to say, "What did I do wrong?"
Um, sir. Please.
This man truly doesn't appear to get it.
Although his intention might have been sort of in the right place — yes, the kids should be excited for their mom — the celebration could have waited a few seconds. It was literally a blink from the moment they ran out to her and when she crossed the finish line.
Instead of having a loving family moment at the end, the kids and the man look upset that she didn't stop the race to hug them.
TikTokers were so proud of the runner.
And it wasn't just because she won the race – it was because she did something for herself.
As this woman pointed out, "WE'RE MORE THAN MOTHERS! ."
So many commenters agreed.
"I'm glad she chose herself ," another person wrote.
They also noticed her nonverbal gestures at the end.
"I love that she didn't immediately go and apologize to them," someone else commented.
Others felt like her supposedly loving partner was off base.
He didn't seem to get it at all, and TikTokers keyed in on it.
"This is a reallllly good example of the subtle way that some husbands treat their wives serious commitments outside of family life, like a joke or not serious, or just 'for fun,'" one comment reads.
"He acting confused is WIIIIILD," another commenter agreed.
His apparent confusion was appalling for some.
"It's that fact he is putting his shoulders up like he does not know what just happened!" another person wrote.
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TikTokers also noticed another man at the race.
The man who the woman beat immediately congratulated her, unlike the guy with kids on the sidelines.
"That man in green KNOWS her hard work and therefore respects her and congratulates her for it. Her 'husband' doesn't take her winning seriously that's why he thought the kids deserved this moment more," someone observed.
So did this person, who wrote, "I personally like it when she hugs her second husband in the end. The supportive one."
Another TikToker referred to a popular trend asking if a woman had to be alone with a man or a bear in the woods what would she choose. "The bear. Every time," the person commented.
We get that the kids wanted to congratulate their mom, and it's sweet – but it could have literally waited five seconds, and we'd be telling a very different story.
Dads, we love being moms, but we love being a lot of other things, too. Please give us a few seconds to do them from time to time. After all, we give you all the time you need in the bathroom.
