A Florida woman received a marriage proposal from her boyfriend as soon as she crossed the finish line at a marathon Sunday morning.
As Jamie Sheahan completed her run in the Palm Beaches Marathon, she spotted her boyfriend Brendan Smith-Heafy and was happy to see that he finished his race — the half-marathon — and was there to cheer her on.
She had no idea he would soon greet her on one knee with a diamond in hand after she crossed the line.
“He knew not to stop me before I finished,” a gleeful Sheahan said.
The couple came from Burlington, Vermont, to West Palm Beach for the weekend for the marathon and to celebrate Sheahan’s 30th birthday, which is Monday. Smith-Heafy said he decided to propose at the race because the two love to run together. They have dated for four years.
“It’s a passion of ours,” he said. “It’s a fitting moment.”
For the first time in race history, the course crossed the Intracoastal Waterway on the Flagler Memorial Bridge into Palm Beach and then returned to West Palm on the Royal Park Bridge.
Tori Fulkroad, 22, of Millersburg, Pennsylvania won the women’s marathon in 3:09:35, while Samuel Luttier, 22, of West Palm Beach won the men’s race in 2:33:26.
