A love-struck runner proved he’d fallen head over heels when he proposed to his girlfriend while running the London Marathon.
James Denton, 30, presented the ring and got down on one knee at the 25-mile mark to ask girlfriend Alexis Clarke to marry him.
Then after the happy couple agreed to tie the knot they continued on the course to the end.
Alexis, 28, who lives with James at Knutsford Road in Alderley Edge, said he was determined to propose to her when she least expected it - and he succeeded.
"I did not know anything about it. He always said it would be a complete surprise when he proposed to me and I thought that I’d suspect something when he did decide to ask me, but I was like a rabbit in the headlights. We had just over a mile to go before the end and he said he’d have to stop because he had stomach cramps. He pulled me to the side and said he couldn’t possibly go on.....unless I agreed to marry him. Then he got down on one knee and presented the ring. My parents who were there to cheer us on knew about it because James had asked for my dad’s permission at Easter but they were all fully determined to keep it a secret. I’m surprised I didn’t see it coming."
Despite the lengthy stop the couple still managed to make it to the finish line and raised a whopping £1,700 for The Children’s Society charity to boot.
Afterwards the pair, who have been together for just over four years, celebrated with a glass of champagne with Alexis’s parents back at their hotel in Canary Wharf.
"When James proposed everyone around us was cheering, clapping and congratulating us. We were both on such a high afterwards that the last mile felt like we were running on air and we forgot the pain we were in," said Alexis.
"We had a small celebration with my parents that evening, but we were both so tired that we were falling asleep sitting up and just wanted to go to bed. But we were so happy - the day couldn’t have gone better and we managed to raise a huge amount for our chosen charity which we’re really pleased with."
