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Couple runs half marathon on wedding day — with their wedding party

Amanda Hughes and Joel Tse first met while training for a marathon in New York City. Courtesy of Shawnee Custalow

When you’re a couple who loves to run, it only makes sense to do it on your wedding day.

Amanda Hughes and Joel Tse, Brooklyn-based newlyweds who tied the knot last weekend, ended up inviting almost 60 members of their wedding party to run a half marathon on the day of their wedding.

“When we booked the venue [in late May 2016], we knew the Airbnb Brooklyn Half would likely be the same day. It immediately seemed like a great idea to invite our running community to run with us,” Hughes tells Global News.
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Courtesy of Shawnee Custalow

The love of running

Once it was announced the wedding and half marathon would be on the same day, the couple posted the idea on Facebook. Not surprisingly, people were on board.

The couple, who first met while training for a marathon, says the wedding party was also their running community.

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“The [running] community allowed us to become friends, allowed our friendship to grow, and eventually our relationship to blossom. Without this community, we wouldn’t have had the chance to be together,” Tse tells Global News.
Courtesy of Joel Tse

The half marathon that day included wedding party members between the ages of 16 and 66. And according to the New York Post, only four members of the party were running their first race.

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Hughes, 38, and Tse, 39, also had matching singlets to unify the group, but they didn’t want the run to be just about them.

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“We paid for the singlets for anyone that wanted one. In exchange for that we asked them to make a $20 donation to Team in Training, which is part of the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. That way it could be a fundraiser for a good cause,” Hughes says.

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Along with getting the wedding party singlets, their own custom running tanks mimicked a tux and white wedding gown.

They also had bibs that said “bride” and “groom.”

The big day

And with an evening ceremony to follow their 7 a.m. run, Hughes says she didn’t feel overwhelmed.

“We did a lot of thorough planning to have things organized in advance,” she says. “I wish we had more time before the ceremony to take pictures, but we made do with the time available. We had to prioritize getting in a shower and some food after the race.”

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Courtesy of Shawnee Custalow

The ceremony and reception was held at The Greenpoint Loft in Brooklyn at 5 p.m., followed by a potluck dessert made by family and friends.

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“We had a lot of support throughout the day from family and friends, and excellent vendors as well,” Tse adds.

The love story

The couple first met in 2009 while training for the NYC Marathon. After getting to know each other in their running community, they officially became a couple in 2013.

“Some time in the fall we made it official. It was fun sneaking around, though, not telling friends in [our training program],” Tse recalls on the couple’s site.
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Courtesy of Amanda Hughes

And the couple, who is currently on their honeymoon in Uganda, still plan on getting a few strides in on vacation.

“We brought running clothes and definitely plan to get some running in,” Hughes says.

arti.patel@globalnews.ca

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