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Photo by Gary Higgins/ The Patriot Ledger
When Team Brigham member Ruben Austria woke up on Monday, he had two goals: finish the Boston Marathon and propose to his girlfriend.
Austria crossed the finish line in Copley Square holding the hand of Johana Seminiano after he surprised her by proposing about a mile shy of the finish line.
“It was such an amazing day, truly one I will never forget,” said Austria, a real estate developer who ran Monday with Team Brigham for the second time.
Their story was a hit with readers of The Patriot Ledger, which captured the story and proposal on video.
“I knew it was going to be an important event for us, but I didn’t think it was going to be on the newspaper's cover,” said Austria, who continues to receive telephone calls of congratulations.
Austria planned his race day proposal a month ago and looped in his and Seminiano’s families to help him pull it off. He would run over to her as she and their families cheered him on behind the spectators’ barrier. He had asked a relative to hold the ring and slip it to him. But it almost didn’t happen as Austria battled leg cramps throughout the entire race.
As soon as he spotted them though, he ran over and dropped down on one knee. “I said, ‘This race is about to end, but I’m ready to start a new one,”’ said Austria who completed his fourth marathon and became involved with running marathons for charity after his mother was diagnosed with cancer in 2005.
A day after the big day, Austria said he doesn’t have another marathon scheduled, but thinks he will be busy planning for a bigger event, his wedding.