Hyvon Ngetich lost her bid to win the 2015 Austin marathon just 50 metres from the finish line.

The 29-year-old Kenyan runner was leading the race with just strides to go when she collapsed to the ground with the finish line in sight.

Determined to finish the race Ngetich continued the race to the finish line on her hands and knees with her forehead rubbing along the ground.

Crowds began to cheer as the woman showed her dedication to the race, making several stops to catch her breath and crawl again.

Officials plus medical staff kept an eye on the Kenyan as she struggled along the road with a wheelchair on standby if needed.

Both the officials and the medical staff refrained from assisting the woman as she would have been disqualified had they intervened.

'Oh, God, thank you, I crossed,' said Ngetich when she eventually crossed the line still on her hands and knees.

'For the last two kilometres, I don't remember. Finish line, I have no idea,' she added.

Race Director John Conley watched in amazement as Ngetich crossed the line.

'When she came around the corner on her hands and knees, I have never, in 43 years of being involved in this sport, seen a finish like that,' he told FOX 7 TV in Austin.

Conley said to Ngetich: 'You have ran the bravest race and crawled the bravest crawl I have ever seen in my life.

'You have earned much honour, and I am going to adjust your prize money, so you can get the prize money you would have gotten if you were second.'

Another Kenyan runner, Cynthia Jerop, went on to win the women's race with a time of 2:54:21.