When Ottawa runner Rob Meredith collapsed in front of the U.S. Embassy with a little more than five kilometres left in his half marathon, Cornwall NP Marian Watt knew she needed to help. “I saw this gentleman across the street and he looked quite wobbly. He appeared to be leaning on a garbage can and he had difficulty standing up,” Watt recalls. After calling a police officer to come, she rushed to help him, encouraging him to remain calm as he fought to stay conscious. “What I remember very starkly was a very wonderful voice and a very calming influence who said: ‘We’re going to get you help, you’re going to be OK,’” Meredith says. Turns out he was suffering from severe dehydration and was overheated. Watt stayed with him until the ambulance arrived, and Meredith says he won’t soon forget what she did. About two months after the event, the pair reunited and Meredith introduced Watt to his wife and two sons. He thanked her again for giving him a new perspective in life, adding he is running again and plans to do a 10 kilometre race next year. “I think it’s wonderful to see Rob and how he’s put a positive spin on it,” Watt says. (CBC News, July 17)