A Couple Tied the Knot in the Middle of the Chicago Marathon
The newlyweds posing together at the end of the race. Photo: Courtesy Bank of America 2015 Chicago Marathon
A couple started the 2015 Chicago Marathon on Sunday as engaged to be married, and crossed the finish line as husband and wife. Stephanie Reinhart, 35, and Mark Jockel, 46 said “I do” near the 8-mile mark under a white arch decorated with medals from races the pair had run. Reihnart wore a white tennis dress while Jockel paired black shorts with a tuxedo T-shirt. They also wore matching race bibs with “Bride” and “Groom” respectively and toasted their vows with gatorade.
“I wanted a little wedding, and Mark wanted a big wedding. My colleague suggested that we get married during the marathon, and it was perfect: I get a short and sweet ceremony, and Mark gets several thousand guests,” Reinhart told NBC Chicago. Fittingly enough, the pair met in 2013 when they were placed in the same marathon training group. “It took me a day or two to come around to the idea,” Jockel admitted. “But everyone I talked to about it was like, ‘That’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever heard. You’ve got to do it.’”
The officiant was the bride’s track teammate who got ordained on the Internet and friends from around the country made it to the Windy City to be there for the wedding and cheer them on from the sideline for the rest of the 18.2 mile trek. Invites were a play on race packets with bibs and wristbands and the rehearsal dinner the night before was a carbo-loading affair.
Reinhart and Jockel didn’t inform the racing committee of their plans, but it still went off without a hitch.“The marathon reached out to us to say we should swing by the media center afterward,” Reinhart said. “And I figured it was either something really cool or it was an arrest warrant.” After a reception where the newlyweds recovered and dined on Mexican food, they’re now off on their honeymoon to Manitoba, Canada, where they’ll take a polar bear trek.
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