FORT KENT – Ninety-nine athletes with disabilities crossing the finish line at the IPC Paralympic World Championships on Tuesday were met by four women and a man who passed out warm blankets, water to drink, and a occasional hug.

The “Angels of Mercy” perform this compassionate task at all cross-country and biathlon events held at the 10th Mountain Division Lodge of the Maine Winter Sports Center, except for the Biathlon World Cup last winter where it was not allowed.

The crew, all retired, wait hand and foot on athletes who have poured out their hearts and last ounce of energy in a competition some have trained for years to accomplish.

Dressed in bright red jackets with white stripes, and a bib across their chest with “Angels of Mercy” printed on them, they are not hard to spot in the arena, just 10 yards past the finish line.

The quintet Tuesday handed out their compassion for some three hours during middle-distance freestyle competition by athletes from 17 nations on four continents who gave it their all.

They are among hundreds of volunteers at the first-ever world championship held in Maine. All of the athletes at the games this week have disabilities and compete in male and female competitions. The athletes compete as sit-skiers, standing skiers and visually impaired skiers who ski with a guide just a few feet ahead of them.

“We cover their bodies with a blanket to keep the chill away,” Marie Theriault explained. “We offer them a bottle of water, and even a tissue to wipe their faces. Even a pat on the back, if they need one,” she said. “We wait for them at the finish line.”

“We do whatever angels do,” Greta Jalbert, another Angel of Mercy piped in.

The crew Tuesday included Theriault and Jalbert, along with Joyce Kelly, Gert Albert and Ronald Haley.

The five, sporting the white hair brought on by years of caring for their own must really seem like angels to the athletes who have little else to give after expending all their energy on the field of competition.

Some athletes fall to the snow-covered ground after they cross the finish line. A friendly hand awaits them, even before they see their coaches and support staff.

Theriault said the “Angels of Mercy” started eight years ago after her son saw a similar group when he attended a competition in Canada. The Fort Kent retirees, numbering as many as 10 at some games, started their missions of mercy for Nordic athletes of Community High School at Fort Kent, and their many competitors over the years.

Once the Maine Winter Sports Center opened a Nordic facility at Fort Kent, their missions of mercy moved there. They never miss a meet, their hands always open.

“At high school meets, we give athletes honey-water to revive their bodies,” Theriault said. “Here, today, we can only offer water, and we can only open the bottle of water if the athlete can’t do it themselves.

“This kind of competition and compassion is the way they should settle wars,” Kelly said.