Boston Marathon proposal: Couple shares how they met through the race
At the Boston Marathon finish line, Andrew surprises his girlfriend Elizabeth with a proposal, marking a full-circle moment from their first meeting.
USA TODAY
A recently rolled ankle didn’t deter Erie’s Dylan Stevens from his latest Boston Marathon appearance.
Stevens, 34, was within the first 1,000 runners who completed the 129th edition of the world’s oldest existing 26.2-mile race.
The Wilson Middle School teacher, who ran for Edinboro University while a student there, crossed the course’s famed Boylston Street finish line in 2 hours, 41 minutes, 51 seconds.
“It’s one of the slowest marathons I ever ran,” Stevens said. “Having said that, I could tell pretty early on the (ankle) injury I sustained was going to be a factor. It didn’t really hurt, but I felt like I was compensating on the right side of body.
“I was good for 10 miles or so, but after that the goal was just to finish.”
Almost didn’t happen
Stevens began training for his fifth Boston start with the quest of breaking 2:29. Any time below that would have been a personal best.
That bid, though, was all but dashed earlier this month.
Stevens told the Erie Times-News last week that he stepped on a tree branch and twisted his left ankle during a nighttime workout at Frontier Park. That swelled ankle, combined with a calf strain, idled him for four days.
It wasn’t until last week when Stevens opted to travel to New England.
“My tapering hasn’t been ideal,” he said, “but it’s definitely better to be undercooked than overcooked.”
Stevens benefitted from weather conditions that lived up to the race’s forecast for its start. The runners departed in waves with temperatures in the upper 40s, light wind and little chance of rain.
Historic victories
Stevens’ result was the fastest for the dozen northwestern Pennsylvania runners who participated. They were among more than 30,000 entrants who comprised the signature event for Patriots’ Day, a legal holiday in New England.
John Korir of Kenya, despite stumbling at the start line, was the race’s 2025 overall champion at 2:04:45. Thanks to Wesley Korir, who won the 2012 race, they became the first brothers who finished first at Boston.
Sharon Lokedi, another Kenyan, set the women’s course record at 2:17.22.
Area results
Northwestern Pennsylvania entrants who finished the 129th Boston Marathon:
Jack Aulbach, 23, Slippery Rock: 5,225th at 3:02.34
Harry Balwick, 40, Erie: 3,819th at 2:57.17
S. Mark Courtney, 69, Grove City: 18,660th at 3:51.40
Julie DeMarco, 50, Jamestown (Pennsylvania): 21,073rd at 4:05.18
Bob Harrington, 56, Waterford: 11,627th at 3:24.50
Luke Hess, 29, Erie: 4,458th 2:59.19
Carl Kern II, 62, Fairview: 18,573rd at 3:51.13
Christine McWilliams, 52, Meadville: 21,972nd at 4:12.00
Stephen Parshall, 42, Erie: 4,213th at 2:58.36
Paul Rohler, 55, Erie: 12,317th at 3:27.11
Dylan Stevens, 34, Erie: 990th at 2:41.51
Billy Toad-Cvecko, 33, Erie: 5,807th at 3:05.17
Contact Mike Copper at mcopper@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNcopper.