The Runner Who Wouldn’t Take the Win

In December 2012, at a cross-country race in Burlada, Spain, Kenyan Olympic medalist Abel Mutai was way out front. Just short of the finish, he got confused and pulled up about ten meters early, thinking he had already crossed the line. Spanish runner Iván Fernández Anaya caught up to him and could easily have sprinted past to win. Instead, he stayed behind and used gestures to guide Mutai across the line first. He said afterward that Mutai was the rightful winner and he didn’t deserve to win that way.

The Homeless Man Who Kept the Ring Safe

In February 2013, Sarah Darling of Kansas City accidentally dumped her diamond engagement ring into the donation cup of Billy Ray Harris, a homeless man who often slept under a bridge. She didn’t realize it until the next day. When she found him and asked, he said yes, he had it, and he had kept it for her. He could have sold it, but he didn’t. Darling and her husband set up a fundraiser to thank him, and donations poured in from around the world.