Lonnie Coone had finished much longer races than the Boston Marathon. But never with an ending like this.
For most, finishing the Boston Marathon in 3 hours and 8 minutes would be enough of a reason for celebration. But Lonnie Coone has another.
Upon nearing the finish line at a near-7-minute-mile pace, Coone capped off Monday’s race by proposing to his girlfriend, Carmen Ortiz.
Spoiler alert: Ortiz said yes. And honestly, after 26.2 miles, how could she not?
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“It was completely unexpected,” Ortiz told Boston.com in an interview Monday after the race.
“I thought he would run over to kiss me, and then saw him get down on his knee,” she said. “I thought he was tying his shoelace, but then people started cheering and I realized what he was doing.”
Ortiz, a 47-year-old software engineer in Austin, Texas, says she and Coone have been together for nearly three years and that running has been an important part of their relationship. She describes her fiancee as an ultra-runner, who has completed countless marathons and several 100-mile races. Indeed, his ultramarathon results page includes a formidable list of 50- to 100-mile races.
“He’s quite an accomplished runner,” said Ortiz, who says she generally runs shorter distances. The couple travels at least every few weeks to compete in trail runs, she said.
Coone — a longtime UPS driver based in Waco — first ran the Boston Marathon in 2015, finishing the race in just under 3 hours and 13 minutes. He said he had been planning this year’s proposal since November.
“I thought it would be something to remember,” said the 44-year-old.
The Boston Marathon finish line has increasingly become a hot spot for proposals. And now Coone and Ortiz are among the rare few for which that Boylston Street finish line also represents something of a starting point.
