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Man's proposal to girlfriend mid-marathon has social media up in arms

Running the New York City Marathon is an emotional feat as it is, but for one woman who was faced with a proposal midrace, the 26.2 mile route was seriously life-changing.

However, many people are saying they wouldn’t be happy with the timing of the engagement.

Kaitlyn Curran, a New Jersey nurse, was approaching mile 16 at the Queensboro Bridge when her long-term boyfriend, Dennis Galvin, hopped over the barrier separating the runners from spectators and dropped to one knee.

Videos captured by Curran’s two cousins, and shown on CBS Evening News’ Twitter account, shows just how shocked the runner was once she was able to process what was going on — and how quickly she took off once the ring was put on her finger to finish what she was there to do.

NYC Marathon runner gets engaged midrace when her boyfriend abruptly pops the question. (Photo: Facebook)
NYC Marathon runner gets engaged midrace when her boyfriend abruptly pops the question. (Photo: Facebook)

Although the moment may seem sweet to some, many are actually responding negatively to the way that Galvin popped the question midrace, calling his proposal “selfish” and “thoughtless.”

One woman, Rachel Komyati, who actually got engaged after her first marathon, even responded to the tweets, saying that she “would 100% say no if [the proposal] was during [the marathon].”

She told Yahoo Lifestyle it’s the time and money that goes into training for such a challenging race that would make anything interfering with that accomplishment upsetting.

“The marathon, NYC in particular, is a mental challenge with hills and bridges,” Komyati told Yahoo Lifestyle.

“If someone interrupted this, even if it was my future fiancé, I would be devastated. My fiancé (now husband) made sure my accomplishment was at the forefront; the ring and proposal was a bonus!”

Still, she hopes Curran feels differently.

Others have come to Galvin’s defense, pointing out that people on social media can’t possibly understand the pair’s relationship or determine how Curran might have felt about the special moment.

Even Curran’s cousin Rachel Bossbaly responded to tweets to clarify how exciting the moment was for Curran and the entire family.

“She absolutely loved the way everything turned out and loved every minute of it,” Rachel wrote in response to a tweet.

“This is a happy memory that they will both have for the rest of their lives. They also left the following day for a vacation so they could enjoy their first week of engagement in paradise.”

Despite mixed reactions from people on the internet, Curran and Galvin both seem to have accomplished big things on marathon day.


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