'This is your medal': Toronto man gives Boston Marathon medal to first-time marathoner

When Toronto-based Kevin Curnock laced up for the Boston Marathon, he was ready.

"I felt great going into it. I had done all the training," he told CTV News Toronto. "The race was very difficult. It did not go as planned."

But those thoughts were erased just hours later. After he finished dinner, he noticed a runner still on the course.

"My partner Kate and I started cheering her on. We could hear her family cheering for her as well," he said. "She was wearing a shirt that said, ‘Tayla, this is my first marathon.’"

Tayla Savage qualified for Boston by raising more than $10,000 for a charity called Cradles to Crayons, a non-profit organization that provides children with essentials like clothes and shoes.

She crossed the finish line roughly eight hours after the start, as race organizers were tearing down the barricades.

"Crossing the finish line at the Boston Marathon was my mission," Savage said. "I told myself at the beginning of the race, I will finish. It doesn't matter what time it is, it doesn't matter how long it takes me, it doesn't matter how I feel – I'm going to finish."

Curnock's partner, Kate Brown, said they started to run alongside her.

"Kevin who was like limping up until that point started running again alongside her cheering, screaming her name, ‘Tayla, go Tayla,’" Brown said. "It was such a victorious ending."

Kevin Curnock and Tayla Savage at the Boston Marathon. (CTV News Toronto)

When she got to the finish line, race officials had stopped handing out medals. The Boston Athletic Association confirmed they'd run out and would be mailing the rest next week.

"One of my biggest fears was actually not receiving a medal," Savage said.

But that fear was never realized because, at the finish line, Curnock gave her his.

"I went up to her and said, ‘Did you get a medal?’ And she confirmed that she didn't, and so I said, ‘Well, you deserve this.’ And I took it off my neck and gave it to her," he said as he described the emotional moment.

Brown said Savage protested at first.

"She said, ‘No, no, no, I can't, I can't,’" she said. "He just said, ‘No this is your first marathon. You have run [for] almost eight hours, you deserve this. This is your medal.’ And she put her head down, and he just put his medal around her neck, and everyone cheered and cried."

Savage was stunned by the kindness.

"It was one of the best feelings I've had," she said. "It was totally unexpected, and it was just really nice to see there really is good in the world."

Savage had begun training last summer shortly after the 2022 Boston Marathon. For Curnock, this was his 12th and the second time he ran this particular race.

"It felt very special. Honestly, it was very rewarding," Curnock said. "She cried, and I had the biggest smile I think I've ever had."

While disappointed he didn't finish his goal time, Curnock said, "It was my best marathon experience ever because of everything that happened after."

The pair have stayed in touch and hope this story continues to inspire others.

"There just need to be more Kevins in the world," Savage said. "I truly can't describe the feeling. I'm still on the biggest high, and I think it's going to continue."