Guest Fits: A Very Special Race Review of the Night Light Trail Run...with an Engagement!

Hi everyone- happy Monday! I have a special story to share with you...one that combines two awesome things: running and love.

This story comes from my friend Mike (previous guest post HERE)

This story will also serve as my "race recap" from the Night Light Trail Race this past Friday, October 10th. Enjoy!

At the end of a different trail race- the Salomon Autumn Trail Series

From Mike:

The question every runner needs to answer is “How do I execute an epic wedding proposal at a race?”  Well, I have an answer for you, it may not be epic, but it was pretty good.

For this story I will use my name (Mike) and my fiancé's name (Julie) and the hostess of this blog (Jessie).  All others identities will be protected because we want to get this information out to you as soon as possible without having to obtain legal waivers.

So, about a year ago I heard about this cool nighttime trail race from my friend Joey.  We had done quite a few trail runs together, but this was going to be the first trail night run.  It sounded like a pretty unique experience and a lot of fun (which it was!)  Unfortunately my buddy Joey backed out on me, so I didn’t register for the race beforehand..  When the day of the race came around, I found out that my friend Ross and his girlfriend Rachel were going to run the race and they invited me along. I headed out to the closest running shop to get a headlamp since the run was completely in the dark and a head lamp was strongly encouraged for all runners (Jessie's note- a head lamp was necessary if you didn't want to break an ankle!)

We arrived at the race and I registered for the 10k option that Rachel and Ross were doing.  

Start of the  Night Light trail race

After the race we met up with their friends Monica and Chandler.  It was Chandler’s birthday and they invited their friend Julie along (it was fate!) We headed to Ward 6 in St. Paul for post-race dinner and drinks and that is when I decided I was going to contact Julie and ask her out.

Fast forward to just a month ago- things were going very well with Julie and I had an idea that the race would be a good opportunity to "pop the question."  

So of course, I had to get permission from her father first.  We met at the St. Paul Grill, but not after a little anxiety on my part.  I went down to the lobby a few minutes early to meet and it was 5 minutes after he was supposed to meet me and I texted him.  No response.  And 10 minutes after we were supposed to meet I called him there was no response. I gave up and headed into the restaurant to cancel my reservation.  Thankfully they told me he was already waiting at our table and I found out the he had left his phone in the car.  I got permission and the next step was the ring.

Thankfully, Julie had a gal’s weekend scheduled up north and I went shopping for a ring at a shop recommended by a friend.  It didn’t take me long to find a ring that I thought was perfect.

Julie and I were planning on running the Night Light Trail Run again as it was around Chandler’s birthday again and the one year anniversary of when we first met.  Rachel and Ross couldn’t make it this year due to an out of state race they were running. But thankfully Chandler and Monica were able to attend.

In preparation for the proposal I knew I was going to carry the ring and I wanted to be able to do so without it being obvious.  I decided to ditch the box and carried the ring in a small draw-string white bag, so there would be a strong contrast against the ground if I dropped it {smart thinking Mason!}  I have a pair of Nike shorts with a zip back pocket.  Once I put the ring in there I knew the ring wasn’t going anywhere until I was ready.

At the beginning of the race, Julie and I ran with Jessie and Monica.  The 10K was a two loop course, and I was hoping that I would find a spot where I could pop the question on the first loop.  Proposals at the end of a race are nice, but I was looking for something a little more personal. During the first loop I kept my eye open for the perfect spot. 

After the race started it didn’t take long for Jessie to pick up the pace and leave us in the literal and figurative dust!  As we ran the first loop with Monica, I noticed a spot overlooking the Mississippi River Valley that was perfect for a proposal.

 Once Monica finished her 5K, Julie and I continued on by ourselves to finish the 10K.  There were barely any other runners around since the 5K was the most popular event and the other 10K runners were well ahead of us.  We came upon the spot that over looked the river valley and asked Julie to stop.  She said “Shouldn't we keep going?  Our friends and beer are at the finish!” I was able to coax her off the course.  I started the proposal and gave her a kiss before getting to the important question.  And at that point we heard someone yelling, “STOP MAKING OUT!!”  

It was Julie’s good friend Phoebe who was on her third lap of the half-marathon distance.  When she started asking what was going on I knew I needed to act fast.  I got on one knee, pulled the ring from my trusty zip pocket, and asked the question.  Julie said “yes” and Phoebe started yelling, “Oh my gosh do you have a camera? (No) Does Julie have a camera? (No) Does anyone have a camera?  (No one was around)  

We got back on the trail and headed back towards the finish.  Phoebe had to keep going because she still had a good chunk of her half marathon left while Julie and I took the last mile fairly easy.  By the time we got to the finish Jessie, Monica, and Chandler had been waiting for us.  Julie showed the ring and everyone was surprised.  Julie had no idea and no one else did either.  The best part of the engagement was the shock on Julie’s face.  Thankfully she loved the ring and was completely surprised by the proposal!  The perfect race experience!

  
So the main Right Fit recommendation?  Go with the running shorts with a zip pocket in back!!! (You can even put an engagement ring in there.)

Thanks Mason for sharing this story!

It was such a fun night. Julie had planned ahead and brought a few birthday (and now engagement!) celebratory cupcakes and there was beer and music at the finish line.  

Even if there hadn't been a proposal, I still would have loved this race. It was really fun to do a trail race in the dark. I mean, yes, I had a head lamp, but there were plenty of times that I felt like I was running blind. I did take a wrong turn once, but fortunately there was another runner close behind me that corrected me. I will definitely be back next year- maybe I'll even try the half-marathon!

Re-enacting the proposal for the camera

Congratulations to Julie and Mike! I'm so happy I got to be there on this exciting occasion. A race proposal gets me every time...

Picture of the happy couple at Woofstock 2014

Night Light Trail Run:
http://www.enduranceunited.org/events/night-light-half-marathon/
5k/10k and half marathon options