The marriage proposal on a not-so-perfect rainy day almost didn't happen as planned yesterday.
Nick Overbaugh, 25, spent the last two months planning how he'd propose to Jenna Ewing, 23, his girlfriend of two years. The Maryland resident settled on surprising her at the finish line of the inaugural Love Run in Philadelphia. He hired a 'proposal' assistant to pull things off and arranged for a photographer at the finish line.
"Around mile seven I wanted to call it quits," said Ewing.
He even designed her ring to match her mother's ring.
Ewing's first half marathon was something she had been looking forward to because she has relatives in Philadelphia and she's from Western Pennsylvania.
Once the race got started, the rain became a challenge for Ewing as she had no experience running in it. She thought just short of halfway into the race that it may be time to exit.
"I’m glad I kept going," said Ewing.
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She had two friends to run along with to keep her going too. Once she hit the finish line in 2 hours 18 minutes, two minutes faster than her personal goal, she saw her boyfriend holding a bouquet of flowers.
"He got down on one knee. It didn't even register what was going on. Then I saw all my friends and family behind him," said Ewing.
What did she do next? She rushed to greet and hug the family members who had traveled as far as Pittsburgh, and thought how gorgeous the flowers were.
Overbaugh's mother turned to Ewing and said in a motherly tone, "Say yes."
Ewing turned around and realized what was happening, as Overbaugh stayed on one knee behind her.
"Of course I will marry you," she said. "If I knew he was doing this I would have run a lot faster."
Overbaugh said of Ewing, "She's my best friend. We do everything together and she is easy to get along with." After the Love Run and proposal, the couple and their families dined at Devil's Alley.
The Towson University graduate student plans to take her time and not rush the wedding ceremony. Her friends got her wedding magazines to look through this weekend, but she says she's probably going to get married in the fall of 2016.
"I'm glad it rained, otherwise it would have been too perfect of a day. It'll be nice to look back on the day and laugh," said Ewing.
Ten thousand runners partook in the first ever Love Run on March 30. A portion of the race proceeds will go to the Philadelphia Educational Supplies, which benefits School District of Philadelphia students.
The Love Run course began at the Art Museum circle, traveled along the Schuylkill River and ended with a finish line back at the Art Museum.
Contact Sarah Glover at 610-668-5580, sarah.glover@nbcuni.com or follow @skyphoto on Twitter.
