American runner proposes to girlfriend after winning marathon

By Hong Duy   May 23, 2024 | 05:19 am PT
Will Loevner finished first at the Cleveland Marathon in 2 hours, 19 minutes and 44 seconds, then immediately got down on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend Emma Patterson.

Loevner did not take the ring with him when he competed in the Cleveland Marathon on May 19 but asked a friend to hold it for him and wait at the finish line. Immediately after crossing the finish line, the American runner hugged Patterson and got the ring from his friend without letting her know. After that, he proposed to his girlfriend and took photos to keep the memories.

According to ABC News 5 Cleveland, Loevner initially only planned to propose if he finished first. But to reduce the pressure, the runner from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania decided to propose regardless of the result.

Loevner said that as much as he loved the championship, his favorite silverware was "the ring on his girlfriend's finger."

Will Loevner proposes to his girlfriend Emma Patterson at the Cleveland Marathon on May 19, 2024. Photo by Cleveland Marathon

Will Loevner proposes to his girlfriend Emma Patterson at the Cleveland Marathon on May 19, 2024. Photo by Cleveland Marathon

The American runner posted a video of him proposing to his girlfriend at the finish line on Instagram and wrote: "What a wonderful day. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you Emma."

The Cleveland Marathon is where the two first met at last year's competition. At that time, Loevner also finished first in 2 hours, 19 minutes and 56 seconds, and started dating Patterson just a few days later.

About 10,000 runners competed at the Cleveland Marathon last weekend. In the women's event, Ashton Swinford from Hudson, Ohio won for the third time in a row, in 2 hours, 51 minutes and 16 seconds.

Many runners propose to their girlfriends after completing marathons. In 2022, Joseph Kagiso Ndlovu attended the ultra race Comrade Marathon in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and proposed to his girlfriend Prudence.

As he headed towards the finish line, he held up a banner that read "Prudence, will you marry me? I ran 90 km for you."

Italian runner Marcell Jacobs also sent a message to his long-time girlfriend Nicole Daza right after winning the 2020 Toyko Olympics men's 100m gold medal. "We will get married next year right, honey?" Jacobs said on live television after he received the medal.

Will Loevner proposes to his girlfriend Emma Patterson at the Cleveland Marathon, May 19, 2024. Video courtesy of Will Loevner

 
 
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