It all started with a little jog around Chicago...

Her side

One day in late March 2019, when I was just passively "swiping left" when I stumbled upon someone who caught my eye. He was tall, tan and handsome, and well put together. One picture was of him running a half marathon in Tennessee, and another with a triathlon outfit on (clearly into running and athletics), and also in a Capitals jersey. A runner and a hockey fan? Cleary, this guy is an anomaly!

"Taking a little jog around Chicago in October," is what he had written about himself, and I instantly thought, "This guy thinks he's so clever!" Only the Chicago Marathon takes place in October, any runner would know that! So, the "swiping right" took place, and it was a match! The conversations began have never stopped!

Jon asked me out on our first date and on March 29, 2019 and met me outside of my apartment to ride together to Väsen Brewery. He instantly gave me a hug (He is such a daring soul as I am not one for public displays of affection on the first date!). We talked (more like I babbled) over a couple of brewskies, but then decided to switch locations. We walked to the Hof Garden, but it was so packed that we decided to migrate elsewhere so that we could still converse. Then, he whispered those magic words, "You know the Hokies are playing in the Sweet 16 tonight. Want to go to watch the Hokies at Home Team Grill?" This was absolutely HUGE! I was instantly beaming with excitement! Not only had he taken me to my favorite brewery, listened to me drone on and on, but he was willing to go into the land of Hokie Fandom for me? And to top it off, is as obsessed with running and hockey as I am? I clearly had hit the jackpot!

Home Team Grill was packed, but we were able to snag a small table, share 2 buckets of tater tots, and watch as they Hokies fell to Duke.

As the night came to a close, I couldn't help but feel slightly sad the night was ending. I knew in my heart I would be seeing him again because, in the words of my Nana, "something was just different about him."

His Side

It was a couple years ago when I was discussing with my dad that meeting someone in the dating app world can be difficult. Swipe right, swipe left, go on on a date, and hopefully the other person is as interested as I am. That’s how it really felt sometimes - almost routine.

I remember telling my dad that I hoped to one day find someone who enjoyed running and hockey, possibly even Capitals Hockey as much as I did. Not too long after that, I received a lottery slot to run the Chicago Marathon, but saying exactly that in a dating profile can be intimidating to many given to time commitment and the insane effort to do run the distance. After all, the original Grecian messenger who is made famous for running this distance died not long after delivering a war report.

Then this girl comes along and calls me out for stating that I’m preparing for a casual jog around the city of Chicago in late October (race day). “Why are you being so vague about it?” she asked with a smirk. “Just say you’re running the Chicago Marathon.” I look through some of her photos on her dating profile and notice she’s also a hockey fan. Um, WHAT?

Within the first four dates, we went to a few breweries, watched March Madness, jogged around Richmond a handful of times, and even went to a hockey game.

She’s not one in a million. She’s one in eight billion. And we’ve been running strong since the night we first met.