It was 2014 and I wanted to propose to my girlfriend, Jess – I just hadn’t figured out how. She loved a surprise birthday party I’d organised two years before, so I thought something similar would be fun. A few friends and family were coming to cheer me on in the London Marathon, so I thought I could do it then. We could celebrate – hopefully – with everyone afterwards.
I asked Jess’s dad’s permission in a restaurant in London in March that year, and moments later Mikel Arteta walked in – as a big Arsenal fan, I took that as a good sign. He’d scored a penalty that day – the football gods approved.
Jess and I met as students at the London College of Communication in 2009. She was smart, great fun, and caring. We just clicked. After a few years, we knew we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. We’d talked about getting married. So, I was 99.9% certain that she’d say yes.
I told our families about my plan a few weeks before the marathon. They had to get Jess in position at the super-busy area 200m from the finish. It’s the last public area before it’s ticketed. Our families had brought food and drinks for a celebratory picnic in Green Park afterwards.
A close circle of friends knew as well, but word got around to more people who didn’t know about my specific plan, but knew something was going to happen. There were about 40 of them by the barrier in the end.
The plan was for Chris, my best friend from school, to hand me a dummy ring that Mum lent me. I knew I’d have clammy hands and didn’t want to drop the actual ring or lose it en route. Beforehand, Chris and I practised the ring handover up and down Wimbledon High Street – after a few pints – to some bemused onlookers.
On the day, 13 April 2014, it was perfect weather for running – not too hot or cold. After running more than 26 miles I was physically dead, but felt amazing. At this stage, the runners veer towards the inside of the track to get the best time possible. But I had to run across the course, which caught the attention of a photographer who thought I was injured.
The ring handover was seamless. Then I took a few steps back from the barrier and tried to get down on one knee, but because of cramp it was more of a lunge. The speech I’d planned was lost in a wall of noise from the crowds.
As soon as Jess saw the ring, I guess words weren’t important. She burst into tears and we kissed. I borrowed Chris’s mobile and took a selfie, with Jess looking a bit teary. Then the crowd erupted in cheers for us and Jess encouraged me to continue to get a good time. After running that distance, starting again was like moving an oil tanker. I finished in three hours, 23 minutes. It was actually a personal best for a marathon, but if you take off time for the proposal, I was a bit faster.
Once I got my phone back at the finish line, I texted Jess to ask if she’d definitely agreed. I was almost certain, but I was slightly delirious and with all the commotion I wanted to check.
When the press pictures went online, some newspapers contacted me for the selfie I took on Chris’s phone. He’s in the photo – he’d been in the sun for hours and had awful sweat patches under his arms. He edited them out.
I hadn’t trusted myself to pick out the actual ring, so we did that afterwards at Hatton Garden. The wedding was the following year. Chris talked about his sweat patches in his best man’s speech. I referenced the proposal too, saying something soppy about Jess being my human finish line. Ironically, Jess banned me from running on the morning of the wedding in case I twisted my ankle.
We’re very happy and live in Wimbledon. We’re both in jobs we love and are enjoying our lives together. I haven’t run the London Marathon again, but I volunteered as a marshal in 2017. I’ve moved on to triathlons and Ironman distances. Jess isn’t a runner. I’ve managed to drag her out for a 5k about five times in our 13 years together. She prefers playing netball.
I’m hoping this article will be another fun surprise. No one else knows about it yet. We’ll add it to the collection of photos and clippings we’ve got framed at home. I think Jess will really like it and read it with a little smile.
• As told to Anna Derrig
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