Guor Marial didn’t finish in the top three. But he did finish.

And that finish in the men’s marathon in London meant a lot not just to him but to many who have heard his story in recent weeks and followed him with interest.

The 2005 Concord High graduate finished 47th overall in 2:19:32. On a day when 20 of the 105 runners didn’t finish, completing the race became that much more important. But his motivation to run as an inspiration to others who have been displaced from their native countries lessened the importance of where he finished and strengthened the importance of why he ran and who he ran for.

Marial fled Sudan during its civil war while still a child, leaving his parents, siblings and friends behind before settling in Concord in 2001. He has not seen his parents since 1993 but knew they had walked 30 miles to the nearest town in South Sudan to watch him run Sunday morning.

The International Olympic Committee allowed Marial to run under its banner because his homeland of South Sudan was so recently formed that it doesn’t yet have its own Olympic body. Marial refused to run under the Sudanese flag and is not a U.S. citizen.

According to the Des Moines Register, after the race Marial said “I have no problem. I live in the United States. I have running shoes. I’m fine. What about the people that are out there? This is the reason I was finishing today. For those people. They are in a rough condition, and I hope that the world is able to help them. It doesn’t matter how long the marathon, whether it was 40 miles. I would finish. Because this moment was for them.”

“I said, ‘Hey God, make me finish. Just let me finish,’” he said. “I was not worried about the time. In my heart here, I feel like I was carrying the flag of South Sudan.”

Marial’s high school coach, Rusty Cofrin, watched the marathon live Sunday morning at Concord’s Red River Theater. “We had a good turnout from the community,” he said. “Guor was interviewed before the race and then we saw him a few times during the race and we saw him finish. It was a tough course for him. There are a lot of u-turns and slow downs and speed ups and there are not many hills. I know it was important for him to finish today but remember that this is only his third marathon. He will be able to run with those elite runners given time and training. He did well. It was a special day.”

Uganda’s Stephen Kiprotich pulled away from the lead pack with about three miles remaining and won the gold medal in 2:08:01. A pair of Kenyans finished with the silver and the bronze. Abel Kirui crossed in 2:08:27 with Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich completing the 26.2 mile course in 2:09:37.

The United States trio of entrants was led by Meb Keflezighi, who took fourth place in 2:11:06 after passing five runners in the final eight miles. Ryan Hall (right hamstring) and Abdi Abdirahman (back) both dropped out of the race for the U.S. before the 10-mile mark.