'Ellen:' Inspiring High School Runner Carries Injured Opponent To Finish Line

Ellen Degeneres welcomed North Dakota two high school athletes to her show Wednesday where they shared an inspiring story of good sportsmanship and putting people before winning.

Melanie Bailey of Devils Lake carried Fargo South runner Danielle LeNoue to the finish line at the EDC Cross Country meet in Glyndon after LeNoue had been injured.

'I carried her for a quarter of a mile," Bailey said as Ellen commented as to the pained look on her face in photos of the incident.

Bailey was less than half a mile from the finish line during a high school cross country race in Minnesota last weekend when she noticed the runner ahead of her began limping and crying.

Rather than passing her, Bailey stopped and offered to assist Lenoue

Bailey quickly realized that Lenoue's injury--which turned out to be a torn patella tendon and meniscus--was too serious to simply have her lean on her the rest of the way, so Bailey gave her a piggyback ride to a medical-support area near the finish line.

"I felt so bad for her; I had to do something," said Bailey. "I was just doing the right thing."

The race was a 2.4 mile race and the injury occurred at around the two-mile mark.

"About 50 people passed me and kept running," said LeNoue, despite the fact that she was crying in pain.

"She was crying really hard," said Bailey. "It was obvious she needed help."

Ellen saluted the teen for her efforts and gave her a trophy for stopping to do the right thing. She also gave both teens and there family's a vacation in the Bahamas.