Pittsburgh runner proposes to girlfriend after winning Cleveland Marathon
CLEVELAND (KDKA) -- A Pittsburgh runner had a big surprise for his girlfriend after he was the first to cross the finish line at the Cleveland Marathon on Sunday.
Will Loevner finished the 26.2-mile race by running into the arms of his girlfriend Emma Patterson. Someone passed him the ring, then he got down on one knee and popped the question.
And she said yes.
Loevner, who also won the marathon last year, posted a video to Instagram, writing, "What a day! I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you Emma!"
The 26-year-old ran the Cleveland Marathon in 2:19:44, beating last year's time by 12 seconds. That time qualifies him for this year's Boston Marathon. He also just ran the Pittsburgh Marathon earlier this month, coming in second with a time of 2:17:37.
As for women, Ashton Swinford placed first with a time of 2:51:16, and for nonbinary, Kari Barclay won with a time of 3:28:08.
The Cleveland Marathon began in 1978 as a way to bring "a positive and meaningful fitness event to the City of Cleveland," according to the race's website. There's also a half marathon as well as a 10K and 5K.