Last month, runner John McGinty completed the arduous Mount Washington Road Race. The race is a 7.6 mile ascent up the tallest mountain in the northeast, and the weather is often record-settingly awful, even in June. So when his 82-year-old running mentor Ron Paquette didn’t show up at the summit, McGinty went back down to find him. That’s when photographer Joe Viger captured a remarkable shot:

[Photo credit: Joe Viger]

The picture features McGinty helping Paquette up the last half-mile of the race. Thanks to McGinty’s help, Paquette finished for the 41st time.

“To me, the photo speaks to perseverance of the human spirit to live, to overcome hardship, and also to achieve,” [Viger] says.

Go get ’em, Ron.