Despite carrying a knee injury to the event from his ordeal trapped in the mine, the 34-year-old still managed to finish the marathon in five hours and 40 minutes, beating his own personal goal of six hours.
His knee injury eventually forced him to walk over 10 miles, with ice packs applied at first aid stations.
“I cried twice because of the pain in my knees,” Pena said. “But I didn’t travel this far to give up.”
“I came to the U.S. to run this marathon, and I did it,” he said, according to the New York Daily News.
“I struggled with myself. I struggled with my own pain, but I made it to the finish line.”
He crossed the line with his knee in a brace and the Chilean flag wrapped around his shoulders, but he was full of spirit as he embraced his wife, with Elvis Presley’s “The Wonder of You” playing in the background.
