Chicago officers help injured runner finish marathon

A Chicago Marathon runner is thanking two Chicago police officers who helped him cross the finish line on Sunday.

It was Edward Hensley’s eleventh marathon, ninth in Chicago and he was injured from the start. The veteran runner thought he was having issues with his IT band in his leg, doctors would later tell him he was running with a fractured hip.

Hensley was running 8 minute miles until the 24th mile on Sunday, when doctors said is probably when his hip broke.

“It felt like an earthquake in my left leg,” said Hensley. “I sat down and looked up and asked God, ‘Can you please help me?’ and not ten seconds later the first officer was by my side.”

Chicago Police officer Joseph Siska got him up, walked him to a first aid tent and wished him good luck. Then a second officer, Alfredo Martinez, who was working near the first aid tent watched Hensley struggle to get back in the race.

“About 50 -100 feet down he collapsed again and they brought him back to the tent,” said Officer Martinez.

Around that time Officer Siska came back to check on Hensley and offered to help him.

“I said, ‘If you really want to do this we can make it happen,’ and he was right way his face changed to being upset to being super happy,” said Officer Siska.

The two officers helped Hensley hobble to the finish line, with the aid of a folding chair as a cane. Those final two miles took them two hours, but they finished the race.
Hensely's time was - six hours, 47 minutes and 44 seconds.

He’s now recovering from surgery at Northwestern University hospital, where doctor repaired his left hip two days after the race.

“If by chance that was my last marathon I crossed the finish line, I made it,” said Hensley. “They were there for me above and beyond their call of duty.”

Hensley is hoping to take his new friends - the two officers - out to dinner soon.