How We Met
We met through a running group! Ryan moved here from CT and met one of his best friends at pickup soccer, and that friend also happened to be in a running group with my mom. So Ryan came out to the group, and my mom called me that day and said, “There’s a cute new guy from CT that came to the group today. You should come out and meet him!”
She worked on me for a couple of months before I finally decided to come and run with them. We met and said hi, then I ran ahead of him for most of the time.
She worked on me for a couple of months before I finally decided to come and run with them. We met and said hi, then I ran ahead of him for most of the time.
Afterward, we all got breakfast at a nearby cafe together, and Ryan and I sat across from each other. I’ll never forget how attentive he was, and how pretty his eyes were. A couple of months later, I posted in the FB group and asked if anyone wanted to meet up after work for a run, and Ryan responded. The rest is history! (Engagement Photos: Eisenhower Photography)
How They Asked
Ryan was running The North Face 50K, which finishes in San Francisco, my favorite city. I planned on meeting him on the Marin side of the bridge to run the final couple of miles with him into Crissy Field (I was supposed to run the entire thing with him, but I got injured and had to scratch).
I waited for more than a hour for him where the trail ends and hits the Golden Gate portion of the race. Ryan was moving slower than projected, so I was starting to get worried. But something told me to not go back and keep waiting. Sure enough, he came down the switchbacks all smiles, and we started running together toward the bridge.
About halfway across (keep in mind he had already run 29-ish miles through the headlands, which is insanely difficult), he stopped to “look at the view,” which he NEVER does. I asked him WTF he was doing, we were only a couple of miles from being done! He said, “Beautiful, we are on your favorite bridge, in your favorite city…” he got down on one knee and asked, “Will you marry me?” and handed me his grandmother’s ring.
Of course, the bridge was packed with cars and runners and passersby, and everyone honked and cheered. We got a random tourist who spoke French to take our photo.