Though he didn’t win the Boston Marathon again, Meb Keflezighi still created a lasting moment on the finish line, and it carried more symbolism than he probably imagined. Taking the hand of Hilary Dionne, a runner from the elite women’s classification who was crossing the finish line at the same time as the 2014 men’s champion, Keflezighi made another iconic moment in Boston.

“I know she didn’t have a great day, I didn’t have a great day either,” Keflezighi told the Globe, “but we got to the finish line and to have it on Boylston Street means a lot to all of us just because memories are made on Boylston Street down to that finish line.”

Dionne is not only an elite runner, but also an amateur. She has a full time job as a Director of Operations and Media Analytics at Jobcase and still managed to run the marathon in a remarkably fast time. The gesture from Keflezighi brought together amateur and professional, both celebrating yet another successful marathon. It represents an idea that was broached at a press conference Dionne attended before the race last week, where top amateur runners were given a moment in the spotlight.

Hosted by local premium performance apparel company Tracksmith at their pop-up store on Newbury Street (open through the Tuesday after Marathon Monday), several of the race’s best amateurs, including Dionne, spoke about how they still manage to run elite times despite not having the ability to train full time. For Dionne, she struggled through training in Boston’s historic winter, but still felt prepared after buying a treadmill.

“I sacrificed a lot of Friday nights running on the treadmill,” Dionne said at the Tracksmith press conference. “I sacrificed social time and sleep a little bit to get work in.” Yet along with the other amateurs, she relished the challenge, even if it wasn’t a glamorous lifestyle.

With that in mind, it was fitting that of all people who would join hands with one of the Marathon’s most beloved professionals, it was an amateur like Dionne. As a fan favorite, Keflezighi was naturally the one who would raise the profile of amateur runners by taking Dionne’s hand and celebrating the end of another epic race.

Here’s some video from the event, with Dionne making several appearances:

And for those curious, Dionne discussed her plans now that the Marathon is over. It’s easy to see why she still manages to run at a high level, even with a full time job:

For me I don’t think things are that much different, but I definitely try to make more plans with friends and enjoy the down time. I think I always have aspirations of trying yoga or spin classes or something like that that I typically don’t do. Usually I try to do a lot of walking and end up getting a little antsy at the week mark and maybe running a few miles. Just really I relax and try not to put too much pressure on myself for the next few weeks.

Featured image via @BethelConn