Grab some tissues--this is a good one.
Giselle Gillis crossed the finish line of San Antonio's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon last week and immediately began sobbing. Not just because she had run 26.2 miles, an achievement in itself, but because she saw her husband Jonathan Gillis with a bouquet of flowers at the end.
Jonathan, a 32-year-old Texas Army National Guard sergeant, was supposed to be in Afghanistan, and the two hadn't seen each other in 11 months, the Houston Chronicle Reports.
At least, that's what Jonathan had told his wife. He had actually left Afghanistan a week earlier than scheduled. For the sake of the surprise, he told Giselle a little white lie--that he was getting his wisdom teeth pulled and would be home a week after her marathon.
The surprise worked: Jonathan managed to hide from his wife when got into town on Friday night, and Giselle was shocked at the finish line.
Marathons might be grueling--and certainly no one looks their best--but they're the site of many romantic moments.
In Houston last year, David Upton and Molly Johnston decided to tie the knot at mile 16, AOL News reports.
The two were running in the Chevron Houston Marathon; when they landed at the 16-mile mark, they said their vows in front of a few family and friends, with a waterfall as the backdrop.
The two avid runners figured they spend so much time logging miles, they might as well get hitched during a race.
The bride, of course, found a way to make her ensemble a little special: A tiny white veil was attached to her running cap.
In Portland, yet another couple promised love and fidelity during a marathon.
Katie Holmes and Eric Johansson chose the 20-mile mark as their altar, the Daily Mail reports.
The reasoning: The two, who knew each other when they were younger, had reunited at the very same race five in 2007. They started dating shortly after, had a child, and decided it was only appropriate to finalize things on the racecourse.
