Tennessee runner Barbara Tatge, 54, said her daughters wanted to spice up her race, so they dared her to flip the tradition of runners stopping to kiss Wellesley girls along the marathon route and find a handsome man to kiss.
She obliged and told the Metro West Daily News that after passing the girls in Wellesley, she ran a bit more and then "spotted a tall, good looking man."
Following the race, Tatge's daughters launched a social-media campaign to find the man. But the search, which quickly went viral, came to an unexpected end on Sunday when the Wellesley Townsman shared a letter from the mystery man's wife.
"When this story aired on the news, we were pretty surprised," the man's wife said, according to The Associated Press. "For me, I'm not mad. Believe me, our friends have gotten a lot of mileage out of this story, and I have thoroughly enjoyed watching them give my husband grief!"
Tatge reportedly responded Monday, thanking the wife for her good humor.
"She's a great sport, and he's fortunate to be married to someone like her," Tatge said.
The Associated Press and the Cox Media Group National Content Desk contributed to this report.
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