Marathon runner stopping at the finish line for her kids strikes a chord with other moms

Parenting is a rewarding life experience but at the same time it requires putting the child's needs before one's own aspirations. Raising a family is ultimately all about striking a balance between achieving personal goals and moving ahead together. Kacy McKenzie who goes by @jogginandjokin on Instagram, is also a mom who was trying to do something for herself but stopped in the middle to help her kids. The woman was running a marathon but prioritized her children over her celebration. Several other moms could relate to her, pointing out how the situation was an accurate depiction of their lives.

At the beginning of the video she posted, McKenzie was about to reach the finish line of the 5,000 Marathon. In the background, a child could be heard saying, "I am going to tell her to pick it up," implying that her kids had probably dropped something on the tracks and wanted their mom to pick it up. "There's mommy," their dad pointed out as she came closer and the kids started screaming for her. "Mommy, can you pick it up?" Another one added, "Mommy, peanut?" The mom, who had just crossed the finish line with her arms raised, looked quite confused for a moment.

She naturally stopped herself after a second and instinctively picked up what the kids were asking for. She sarcastically remarked, "Yeah, let me stop what I was doing and help everybody." The woman handed over the thing to her kids, raised her hands in defeat and added, "That's what moms do." She went ahead and joined the other runners after that. The post's caption read, "Can a mom not get a high five first?" The video received more than three million views and people took to comments to support the mom.

@danielle.norman wrote, "Wow, this is actually heartbreaking. Well done on your race and I'm so sorry no one celebrated you at a moment. I'm sure you'd have loved a high five and a hug." @ruth_clements commented, "Honestly, that's heartbreaking. She's just achieved something she worked hard for and not an ounce of praise from her family but an immediate task to do."

@conniebeehive remarked, "I loved the 'We'll talk about this later' face directed at the husband at the end. I would have waved at them and said 'absolutely not.'" @sirentherocker shared, "She can't even get a break doing something she wants. Dad just let the children do it. Know SHE is overworked at home. Sad." @alissarspears lamented, "I'm actually really sad for her. She was probably looking forward to seeing them cheering for her and that's what she got."

In an interview with TODAY, 36-year-old McKenzie said adding context, "As (moms), this is our life day in and day out." Although she was bothered by what her kids did, she revealed how it wasn't exactly her husband's fault. "Bless his heart — he was trying his best to get this video, like I had asked. I have a supportive husband." When the incident happened, she had just finished a 40-minute run as per the outlet and was immediately given another task. "I'm thinking, 'What in the world — what are these little rug rats doing?'" the mom said, talking about her 6 and 7-year-old boys. The mom also shared, "This happens to moms 100 times a day — maybe not at the finish line of a 5K, but it's an all-day, everyday thing for us. I'm happy that my kids see me that way, but ... it's not always easy being the hero."

You can follow Kacy McKenzie (@jogginandjokin) on Instagram for more family and health content.