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Gavios added that she wasn't focused on her time in the race, but just truly enjoying the journey. She was met by her father at mile 13, and walked on crutches the entire way with Sullivan, a woman who had been severely injured years back in a car accident and crutched the 2017 marathon in honor of her mother, a cancer survivor.

Gavios also said it was Sullivan who gave her the motivation she needed to compete in the race this year.

\"I had no idea I would do the whole thing with her,\" Gavios said with excitement about crutching with Sullivan. \"There were just so many memories that were made Sunday night to look back on. That wouldn't have happened if I accomplished this in a shorter time. It was truly an amazing experience.\"

She continued, laughing, \"Don't get me wrong, there were def moments that sucked.\"

Gavios said Sullivan tried to tell her that when she crossed the finish line, she would feel no more pain.

View this post on Instagram

Unforgettable day!!! Crossed that finish line with @crutching_tigress. We stayed together the whole 26.2 miles????. Thank you to everyone who rooted for us!???? #TeamReeve #ProjectPurple #Espn . . If you haven’t had a chance to donate, please support #TeamReeve by clicking the link in my bio. Every dollar will speed up the process of finding a cure for paralysis. Soon I will RUN the NYC marathon. Thank you for your support, you’re all amazing!!!?

A post shared by Hannah (@adventuretarianx) on Nov 5, 2018 at 4:34am PST

\"I'm definitely not going to forget this pain,\" Gavios said, laughing again. \"Everything hurts, but you have to keep telling your self to go and go.\"

As for what's next for the inspiring young woman, she has upped her fundraising goal for Team Reeve to $30,000 and wants to continue to work with the organization to raise awareness for those living with paralysis.

View this post on Instagram

\"I feel so confident and prepared. And ready to crush 26 miles!\" - Hannah Gavios, #TeamReeve @nycmarathon | via @yahoolifestyle

A post shared by Reeve Foundation (@reevefoundation) on Nov 1, 2018 at 7:57am PDT

\"This research will give us answers on ways we can connect the damaged telephone cord, so that messages will seamlessly transfer from the brain to the rest of the body,\" she wrote on her Team Reeve page. \"This year I am crutching the marathon, but soon you’ll see me running it.\"

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6 hours of crutching in the freezing cold!!! #imdead #26miles #whydidisignupforthis

A post shared by Hannah (@adventuretarianx) on Oct 18, 2018 at 8:54pm PDT

Gavios told \"GMA\" that she wants to \"give everybody that hope -- it's all about what you do with your pain.\"

\"I was very inspired by Amanda Sullivan, she said, 'Your pain can bring others down, or you can use it to lift other people up!'\" Gavios explained. \"We can't always control what happens to us, but we can control the way we react to that.\"

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