Look at This Cute Proposal That Happened at the Philadelphia Runner Halloween Urban Scramble!


Marc and Tara, who got engaged at Philadelphia Runner's Halloween Urban Scramble after-party at Ladder 15.

Marc and Tara, who got engaged at Philadelphia Runner’s Halloween Urban Scramble after-party at Ladder 15.

So last night at Philadelphia Runner’s first ever Halloween Urban Scramble, a surprise proposal happened! (Oh, and if you are all-things-running ignorant like me, and don’t have Be Well Philly editor Emily Leaman a few doors down the hall from you to explain what the heck that is, you can read about it here. Apparently, it is some sort of running/raffle-ticket gathering/race/scavenger hunt type of thing that concludes in an after-party where the raffle ticket prizes are announced, and you drink.)

The last stop on the scramble last night was Ladder 15, where everyone who participated gathered to have some drinks and then see if they won any of the raffle prizes. And that’s where Marc LePera shocked Tara Diorio with a proposal.

Marc was originally going to propose more around Christmastime, but when Tara recently started talking about going back to Steven Singer to see if the setting she liked was still there (um, it wasn’t), Marc knew he had to move up the proposal. He also knew, after thinking about it and chatting with her friends and family, that there were a few things that would be great to work into popping the question: running and/or running shoes (the couple does half marathons, mud runs and the like together, and it’s something that has brought them closer); some sort of prank (“We tend to do that day in, day out,” he says); and getting Tara’s daughter Alessia involved. Proposing at the scramble—by way of a pre-arranged raffle ticket, and with help from Philadelphia Runner’s Ryan Callahan and a manager at Ladder 15—ended up allowing Marc to combine all three.

Let’s let him tell it (pics below):

Ryan snuck the raffle ticket to me during check-in, and I snuck him a shoe box that Tara’s daughter, Alessia, covered in pictures of the three of us competing in  races, and at family functions, vacations and other events. After the raffle ticket was called I played out my role as being excited, having just won shoes for a year. I asked Tara to go up and claim the prize. I followed, and Ryan handed Tara the shoebox covered in our pictures. She had no clue what was going on. I told her to open the box. As Tara looked at the box, as confused as can be, I dropped to one knee holding the ring.  I barely got to say  “I love you with all of my heart,” when she started screaming, “Yes yes yes yes yes!” about a million times. Kissed me 100 times, and then asked me, “Wait, did I say yes? I want to say yes!”

(Oh, and since it was Halloween and all, Marc was some sort of Game of Thrones-ish Roman-ish king, and Tara, of course, was his goddess.)

So cute, right? A big PW congrats to them, and happy planning!

The shoebox Tara's daughter Alessia covered in photos of the three of them.

The shoebox Tara’s daughter Alessia covered in photos of the three of them.

It's dark, we know, but it's the proposal!

It’s dark, we know, but it’s the proposal!

Congrats to the happy couple!

Congrats to the happy couple!

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