The most heartwarming marathon! First time someone got married at Chicago Marathon

According to the Runner's World website, for the first time in the history of the Chicago Marathon, a couple ended their "love run" and exchanged vows on an actual long-distance race in front of 40,000 people. Become a couple. Like any veteran marathoner, Stephanie Reinhart typically avoids trying anything new on race day. But this year in Chicago, she made a few exceptions. For the first time, she put on a white tennis skirt and a lace headband studded with gems and started running from the starting point of the marathon. When she crossed the finish line, in addition to the finisher medal, she also got a new husband. Reinhart, 35, and Mark Jockel, 46, got married while sweating it out at the Chicago Marathon on October 11, 2015. The two newcomers jumped off the track about 8 miles (about 13 kilometers) into the race and said their vows in front of a wooden rack hung with competition medals in full view of the public. After a brief ceremony and a guzzling of sports drinks, they "finished the remaining 18 miles around the city in a triumphant mood," Yockel said. ?REBECCA EDEN/Runner's World

"I think it's a perfect symbol of marriage," said Madeleine Davidson, their witness and childhood friend of Reinhardt. "Marriage is a lifelong thing. It's long-term, and a marathon is a long-distance race, so I think you should put a lot of thought into both." The two women also ran cross country together in high school. Madeline Davidson, a friend of the woman, solemnized the marriage. Picture taken from YouTube

Although the race was completed in 5 hours, 25 minutes and 27 seconds, about two hours slower than their normal pace, Yockel and Reinhardt definitely became the center of attention along the way. , the photos taken should set a record, as spectators and runners along the way have been asking them to take photos. "Like one guy said at the time, 'You guys are the best-dressed couple I've ever seen!'" said Yockel, who was wearing a black T-shirt with an evening gown printed on it. Meanwhile, Reinhardt looked grateful to be able to run the entire race without squirting fluorescent sports drink onto her ivory dress. Running has always been at the center of Yockel and Reinhardt's romance. The two met during the Chicago Area Road Running Association's marathon training program in the summer of 2013. "We actually matched up really well in terms of pace," Reinhardt said. “We were both in the eight-minute mile category. So we spent a lot of time running with each other and getting to know each other.” They cheered each other on at their respective marathons that fall, Laing said. Hart completed her second Chicago Marathon with a personal best (PB) of 3 hours, 24 minutes and 15 seconds, while Yorker completed the Marine Corps Marathon in 3:36:15 before the pair finished in December. Start dating. He proposed to her a year later on their first New Year's Eve dinner date, and soon after, they set a date to marry at the Chicago Marathon on October 11 this year. The couple hired a graphic designer to help them create a special race-themed wedding logo, which featured the Chicago skyline, their shoe prints forming a heart shape and the slogan "8th Mile, We're Waiting" Not enough." (Editor's note: The original rhymed "Mile 8 We Can't Wait.") They printed it into tournament poster-sized invitations and mailed them to their 50 guests in giant thick paper tubes. The invitation also included a folder labeled "Race Guide," which included a race map, a wristband to keep everyone up to speed on the day's events, and a bib number. Luckily, guests didn't need to put a pin in their gown - everyone also received a personalized T-shirt to wear to the day's ceremony. The two got married in the presence of many running friends.

?REBECCA EDEN/Runner's World

At first, both families seemed surprised by the swift ceremony - "They asked, is this going to be legal?" Yockel said, even himself. All the runners found it a bit incredible. "When she first told me about the plan, I thought she was joking," said guest Maureen Daly, who also met the two newcomers at the above-mentioned organization. "She said, 'We're going to get married at the marathon.' And I was like, 'Oh, that sounds cool. But what's your real plan?'" But in the end, everyone agreed. , the athletic duo chose the perfect way. "It's basically very much what Stephanie would do, she's never been conventional," gasped Alaina Carrillo, another friend in tracksuits as she arrived. She tried to catch up with the couple at mile 5, but she basically kept chasing. "I was running on the road because there was no other way to get here but to run this marathon route, and I was trafficked all the way," she said. Before the couple crossed the finish line, a friend handed Reinhardt a bouquet; next, they donned specially designed bride and groom bibs handed to them by conference staff for more photos, and then Went to the Chicago rehab room for a quick ice pack. They then went to take a long shower and headed to their wedding reception at a Mexican steakhouse. There, they handed all attendees a gift bag stuffed with L?RABAR (a nut and dried fruit cereal bar) and other heart-warming desserts, and prepared extra special treats for their fellow runners. Gifts like energy gels, Nuun (energy drinks) and specially printed headbands. Although their matchmaker, the pace leader of the aforementioned training program, was on hand to DJ and play music hard, the happy couple didn't do much dancing. After a few weeks of recovery, they will head off on their honeymoon in November. It's no surprise that the unconventional couple definitely didn't opt ??for the beach trip that most people go for. Instead, they will head to the sub-Arctic to walk with polar bears. ?Associated Press Relatives and friends posed for photos behind a shelf filled with medals. ?Stephanie Reinhart's photo after the meeting. ?Stephanie Reinhart