Watch: Man Proposes to Girlfriend At Mile 16 of New York City Marathon
Kaitlyn Curran was running her first New York City Marathon on Sunday when her longtime boyfriend, Dennis Galvin, hopped over the barrier at Mile 16 to stop her and pop the question.
A video of the proposal was captured by Galvin's cousin, Kathleen Figueroa. It has been making rounds on Twitter.
With 10.2 mile to go, Curran, a nurse, said yes, celebrated briefly and continued on her way. She finished the race in 4 hours and 24 minutes, although, truthfully, she might've clocked in a few seconds earlier if she hadn't stopped to say yes.
"People in the race were slowing down to take pictures. It was indescribable just to be there and see it all was amazing," Figueroa told CBS News. "She cried a little bit, said yes, hugged him and then said 'OK, I have to go finish my race."
Figueroa said Galvin chose to propose to Curran in the middle of her race since he wanted to ask her at the first Manhattan stop of the race, per CBS News. Mile 16 was located near the Queensboro Bridge, which connects Queens and midtown Manhattan. Galvin met his new fiancee at the finish line to celebrate their engagement and Curran's medal-worthy finish.
We decided to run the proposal by Sports Illustrated's resident runners:
Chris Chavez: In my opinion, marriage proposals shouldn't take place at sporting events. Nothing is worse than the ones at baseball games but this one is particularly bad. I don't want to rip the guy too much because he's clearly in a happy relationship with his now-fiancee but c'mon. Mile 16?!? Meet her at the finish line! She's got another 10.2 miles to go. I'm not a fan of this guy making a moment that she trained MONTHS for about him.
These types of viral clips always stop too soon. I also want to know if there was any cramping that took place after she had to start and stop. Also did she have a time goal for the race and did stopping for 40 seconds ruin that?
Emily Caron: I would've been so mad. Who wants to be sweaty and dying mid-marathon when someone proposes to you? Plus, she had 10.2 miles to go to be focused for and having to stop definitely slowed her down. He made her first marathon into a day about his proposal! Not. Husband. Material. End of the race? Maybe. Mid-marathon? Nope.
Bette Marston: I'm all for a sweet finish-line proposal, but a mid-marathon proposal ... what is this guy thinking? I have so many questions: First, a marathon is a celebration of a runner's months of training; assuming the guy has seen first-hand how much work she has put into this race, why did he feel the need to steal this moment away from her? Logistics get in the way here, as well. The runner could have not seen the guy, or she could have chosen to not stop—did he have a backup plan in that case? In the moments after a proposal, the couple generally wants to be together. Did the guy propose and then wave her on as she left for another 10 miles of running? From experience, I know that fingers can swell while you are running, so there's also the chance that the ring would not fit on her finger.
As someone who was proposed to on a run (it was a Saturday morning in the snow, and our friends came and drove us home), I'm all for the idea of a run proposal. But this guy clearly didn't think this through.
Eric Single: We shouldn't police other people's relationships, jumbotron proposals between two consenting individuals are fine. This is fine if she did not cramp (which I would assume is the case because the adrenaline would kick in hard). What I'm saying is someone should propose to me during next year's marathon.
Matt Dollinger (ran in Sunday's NYC Marathon): As a first-time participant, I would have been furious if my wife proposed to me during the NYC Marathon. Mainly because we’ve been married for five years and it wouldn’t have made any sense. But also because running the NYC Marathon is a top-five lifetime achievement on its own! I don’t need you trying to steal my thunder by getting down on one knee while I’ve been running for 16 miles! If anything, you should let me get down on one knee and take a breather. The focus should be on my legs, not my ring finger. This is like announcing you’re expecting a baby at someone else’s wedding — it might seem like a cute idea in your head, but in reality you’re being selfish and should let the other party have their moment. I’m not saying this guy is a monster, but when you’re coming off the Queensboro Bridge and entering Manhattan at Mile 16, you don’t need any additional motivation. The crowd takes care of all that. A New York Road Runners volunteer should have stopped this man, not let him cross the barricade and maintained the sanctity of the greatest race in the world.
Gabriel Baumgaertner: This man is free to do as he sees fit, but Mile 16 is an especially strange point for a proposal. Your body isn't quite relying on its reserves at that point in the race (mile 21 or 22 is when the punishment really begins), but the back half requires maximum focus and body management. Something as drastic as a marriage proposal probably isn't the best prescription for a runner's adrenaline. My hope is that the thrill of love and distance running elevated her into an ethereal, out-of-body state that numbed the pain for the remaining 10 miles. I just don't think that happened.
