Girma Bekele Gebre started the New York City Marathon on Sunday among 50,000 other amateurs who had paid to race.

Two hours, eight minutes, and 38 seconds later, he crossed the finish line third and took home $40,000.

Gebre, who’s from Ethiopia, is a sub-elite runner who splits his time between his home country and America, according to The New York Times.

At home, he would often practice with other runners on gravel roads and in the woods, running up to 25 miles at a time, but not more than 20 miles on asphalt, The Times said. In New York, he would run with the West Side Runners club.

On Sunday, he began to struggle around the 20-mile mark, but that didn't stop the 26-year-old from finishing just 25 seconds behind the winner, Geoffrey Kamworor, who holds the half-marathon world record.

"I'm surprised that the time was as good as it was," Bill Staab, Gebres' West Side Runners teammate and a veteran runner, told The Times. Gebre had run the Pittsburgh Marathon in 2:13:46 in May.

"He's probably run 100 races in the New York area, but those are usually races that professionals are not invited to," Staab added. "All the Ethiopian runners here are very excited for him."

Gebre said he would use the prize money - the most he's won in a single race - to help his family on their farm in Ethiopia. It is unclear when he would compete again.

"I don't have a sponsor," he told The Times. "I don't have an agent. I just compete individually."