MN Olympian Dakotah Lindwurm meets young fan who cheered her to finish line

Minnesota’s own Dakotah Lindwurm was the top American woman in the marathon at the Paris Olympics. It was a dream come true for the St. Francis, Minn. native as she crossed that finish line, knowing she was and will always be an Olympian.

"My Paris marathon experience was perfect," she says.

"All things considered, to be the first American to take the lead out by Versailles, that was pretty awesome," says Lindwurm.

But she had some unfinished business after the race, and she used her post-race interviews to start her search. She told the magazine Runner’s World that she needed to find a little boy who cheered her on at the 35k or roughly 22-mile mark.

"I felt like I needed to personally thank him because he pulled me out of a deep spot, that moment meant so much to me. It still makes me tear up," she says.

Runner’s World posted her request, and hours later, they got a response from the Li family of Westchester County, New York. "And we read through it and said, actually, I think that’s Jackson," says Jackson’s dad, Terence Li.

They had the cell phone video and all their recorded excitement to prove it. Jackson is 11 years old and he and his family are big fans of the track and professional running. They booked a trip to Paris with the goal of making some special memories and seeing some incredible athletes. They were along the fence line of the course when they heard Lindwurm was coming up to the 35K mark and running as the top American.

You can hear mom Courtney telling her kids to wave their flags as they called her name and chanted "U-S-A." And then Jackson just took off and started running up the fence line, screaming Dakotah’s name and keeping up with her for about 400 meters (that’s a 5:30 per mile pace!).

"I just got super excited and had this rush of adrenaline. And I thought, I’m just going to run with her as long as possible," says Jackson.

Lindwurm remembers how special it was to hear her name and how surprised she was to have this American boy keeping pace with her for a stretch.  "He was cheering my name, he was so enthusiastic.  I could feel how much he wanted it," says Dakotah.

"And it was a moment I will never forget," she added.

Jackson’s dad remembers that moment and the rush of excitement well. "I started cheering, and then Jackson took off and I thought I should capture this, so I had my phone and I was recording as best I could, but he was well ahead of me by the time I started chasing along," says Terence Li. Lindwurm sent Jackson a care package with one of her Paris bib numbers, some shoes, a hat, and a t-shirt.

And FOX 9’s Kelcey Carlson brought them together for a Zoom meeting where they had the chance to see each other for the first time. 

Dakotah had some advice for Jackson at his next cross-country meet. "When you’re tired, remember you can keep up with an Olympic marathoner, so you can keep running hard in your 3k," she says. 

Lindwurm will run the New York City Marathon this fall and down the road she hopes to be back for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.