The race itself didn’t go quite as planned for Kelly Hudson and Lucas Woodward, but you wouldn’t know it from the smiles on their faces as they crossed the finish line together at Sunday’s Detroit Free Press Marathon.
After 26.2 miles and more than 7.5 hours on the course, Woodward dipped his bride-to-be as the two embraced and kissed.
Nearby, a small group of family members and strangers erupted in cheers.
A wedding ceremony was planned in Campus Martius, but because of their late finish – the crowds were gone and crews were dismantling the course – the Canton Township couple got married on the spot.
“It was an imperfect race,” Hudson said before her vows. “But there’s no one I’d have rather spent it with.”
Although Hudson, 34, said she took a spill
during the race, she and Woodward, 33, both beamed as they exchanged vows.
The couple, who dubbed their wedding day the “Marriage-thon,” met in Boston in 2018. Running became part of their relationship while they were dating long-distance, even though Hudson had never been a runner before meeting Woodward.
Sunday was her first full marathon.
In his vows, Woodward spoke about the difficult goodbyes when they lived hundreds of miles apart and the joy of finally sharing ordinary moments together.
“You make the mundane magic,” he told Hudson.
He also spoke about how she makes life's difficulties easier.
As a surprise, Woodward flew in Hudson’s best friend, Emily Brouwer, who served as the officiant.
Brouwer said she wasn’t surprised when she heard the couple planned to be married after running a marathon.
“I said, ‘Yep, that’s on brand for Kelly,’” she said, noting she saw the couple running at mile nine and was impressed by their determination.
Among others watching was fellow runner Priscilla Itauh, who happened upon the wedding and wiped away happy tears watching the ceremony.
“I am recently divorced, and I love love,” she said. “I love reminders that love is real.”
Contact reporter Laura Colvin: lcolvin@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Canton couple turns slow marathon run into happy finish-line wedding
