A marathon runner's race turned into a rescue mission. While running the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, Boston resident Sarah Bohan found herself focusing on fluff instead of speed when she saw an abandoned kitten along the sidelines of the race.
The 26-year-old was nearing mile 21 when she spotted a "white fluffy thing" on the sidewalk, the Boston Children's Hospital social worker tells PEOPLE. "It had to have been one pound, the fur was matted, it had marks underneath its eyes from not being well kept, and it was just crying," she recalls, adding that nobody else seemed to notice the little creature.
"I turned around and scooped up the cat."Despite being on track to achieve her personal record pace, Bohan says she didn't think twice about slowing down to save the kitten. "I didn't care about my time, this was my sole focus, and that just shifted my race entirely for the better," she continues, saying that fellow runner Gia Nigro saw her pick up the kitten and joined in on the rescue mission.
The pair walked along the sidelines of the race after taking in the feline. "I wasn't going to run with this cat; that would injure it," she explains. As she and Nigro walked the race, they asked spectators if any of them would take the cat. After a mile of inquiring with people on the sidelines, two cat moms watching the race stepped up and said, "We will take this cat." "I must have asked them about five times to confirm that they would care and love this cat," she laughs. "I was committed to making sure that this little baby wwouldbe okay, and I wasn't just going to give it to anyone."