Juan Pablo Dos Santos, a 26-year-old amputee from Venezuela, made headlines as he crossed the finish line of the New York City Marathon on November 2, 2025, as the last runner. His journey to this moment is a testament to his grit and heart. Through this glorious act of victory, he surely proves his devotion to motivate countless others who are still in the dark.
Dos Santos lost his lower limbs as a result of a horrific car crash on September 8th, 2019. After the crash, he encountered all new challenges, like overwhelming medical costs that quickly put his family in financial jeopardy. Fortunately, an anonymous donor reached out to provide the funds necessary for his recovery. They funded prostheses, as well as ongoing treatment for Carla at an international clinic in Latin America. This selfless act provided Dos Santos with the opportunity to restore his mobility. Now, with this new achievement, he is able to pursue his biggest dream of running a marathon.
The marathon itself offered distinct hurdles to overcome for Dos Santos. Unlike most other runners who build up their distance over time, he took skin protection into consideration with his training. His sensitivity required a different level of detail and precision in his regimen. To simulate the pain, he had to drop down on the ground every 100 strides while racing. This was simply to avoid skin breakdown. He frequently needed to remove his prostheses to dry his liners out. This created a marathon experience that was completely unique from those around him.
As his leg entered the home stretch, Dos Santos felt intense pain. “For the last two kilometers, the pain was unbearable,” he recounted. His mind knew the fight only got worse with every kilometer he mastered. It was like every mile he rode counted for three times the distance! Everything went against him, but he didn’t lose sight of what he was working toward.
Beyond the finish was the flood of relief that followed crossing the finish line, an astonishing feeling. For almost 10 minutes, all the fatigue, soreness and exhaustion vanished entirely. Dos Santos shared. But his experience was about more than individual accomplishment — he wanted to show that anything is possible, even the most elusive of objectives.
Fired up by his desire to show his doctors that they were wrong, Dos Santos established the Fundación Juan Pablo 2 Santos. He sought to prove wrong the unbelievable long-shot odds against him. This national nonprofit’s mission is to inspire all children to overcome the challenges they face in their lives and never give up on their dreams.
I was just reflecting on the reason why I had run this race… and all the people who were watching this and getting inspired,” he said. Ultimately, he hopes his story inspires others to follow their dreams no matter where they come from.
If any of those dream-chasers think they’re coming to the party too late, they have hope yet. It’s really never too late—it’s amazing in a STEM-oriented world to see that you can do what you love! He emphasized, “This is the proof that no matter if you arrive last, you have to cross the finish line.”
Dos Santos had to overcome many arduous periods throughout his journey. The prognosis was pretty dismal,” he remembered of his recovery journey. Yet, he transformed this adversity into motivation: “I think that the ‘no’ that was hidden in their eyes and in their expressions motivated me to fight with all my strength to achieve what seemed impossible.”
