AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Sunday, runner Abel Marron Rodriguez thought he was just completing another half marathon. But a bigger victory awaited him just past the finish line, where he was gifted a brand new Subaru car.
Now a student at the University of Texas at San Antonio, Marron Rodriguez had been spending three hours commuting to campus via bus, taking city buses to the Greyhound station before boarding one to and from San Antonio. Marron Rodriguez said he had grown accustomed to the trip, spending time doing his homework or taking a quick nap along the commute.
RELATED: Who are the winners of the 2024 Austin Marathon?
Now? The world’s at his fingertips.
“Now that I got a car, I could just drive myself from campus all the way to Austin,” he said. “It’s gonna be a whole lot different than it once was.”
The surprise gift came through a partnership between City Limits Subaru and Austin Angels , a nonprofit organization created to aid foster children, youth and their families — including those like Marron Rodriguez, who was formerly a foster child.