LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) -- One of the participants in Saturday's Rodes City Run 10K race will look familiar to Kentuckiana and much of the country. She is Asia Ford, the woman whose journey across the finish line captured the nation's attention, building even more support for her weight loss journey here at home.
The photo taken at the finish line of last year's race is engraved in our minds and Ford is ready to relive that moment again with the same support system by her side.
The picture went viral inspiring the entire city, even people across the country and the globe.
It shows Ford struggling to cross the finish line but fast forward one year later and you may not recognize her.
“I'm over 200 pounds lighter, I feel a whole lot better,” said Ford.
At her heaviest Ford weighed just over 500 pounds, living a life chained down by her weight.
She finally decided to make a change after her husband at the time lost a limb to diabetes.
“At that point I knew I was going to be in that situation or worse, dead if I didn't get it together so at that moment I made the decision, you know I prayed about it, talked to my kids and I decided I was going to do it, I was going to finally live,” said Ford.
She trained for about a year, exercising and eating right. The 2015 Rodes City Run was her chance to show her kids her progress and that hard work pays off. But around mile four of the race, she started to feel sick.
“There was a moment where I put my head down and started crying, started to kind of tear up, within a matter of seconds my hand kind of raised and without even being able to see it, I kind of clenched on to this hand,” said Ford.
That hand belonged to Lt. Aubrey Gregory who got out of his car when he saw Asia struggling.
“I knew then we were going to do this together, I asked her I said do you want to quit and she said no and I said well, let's go,” said Lt. Gregory.
And so they went, all the way across the finish line, a moment they will never forget. And neither will anyone else thanks to the picture that captured it and went viral.
“I had no idea that the Mayor had retweeted, reposted and that all these hits were starting to happen,” said Lt. Gregory.
The photo has been seen around the world but Ford and Lt. Gregory say that moment is not about fame or recognition it is about the start of a beautiful friendship.
“You never know who's going to lift you up and sometimes you don't even know you need it and she was that, she was there and it was amazing,” said Lt. Gregory.
“I don't think I've ever met a more amazing person in my life, I really don't,” said Ford.
Ford is running the Rhodes City 10K on Saturday. She says she is ready and this time, won't be needing Lt. Gregory's help.
Lt. Gregory will of course, still be there, he says he would not miss it.
The 36th running of the Rodes City Run 10K begins at 1st and Broadway and starts at 8:00 AM.