Running headlong into a marriage proposal in the Bovington half marathon

Kirstie, you may remember, swam the English Channel last summer and raised over £4,500 for the charity Aspire. As well as being a keen swimmer, she occasionally joins Mark on one of his runs, as she did on 17 December. “It was the White Star Running Group’s half marathon at Bovington,” said Mark, “and quite a muddy run.”

Little did Kirstie know what would happen towards the end of the race. To her dismay, Mark sped up leaving her pacing through the mud without him, but there was a surprise waiting. Moments later as she rounded the corner to the finish line, she found him on one knee with an engagement ring in his hand. A fellow runner GoProed the whole thing, which was posted on the White Star Running Group’s FB page, with loads of likes and 200 congratulatory messages.

Mark, being the complete gentleman, didn’t even cross the finish line until after the proposal, when he and Kirstie crossed it together, after she said “Yes.”

The couple have been together for eight years and though Kirstie suspected he was going to pop the question, she had no idea when it would happen.

Everyone at mags4dorset is now looking forward to hearing about their wedding plans.