A couple from Mississauga took the phrase “running off together” to heart, getting engaged mid-race at the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon last Sunday and going viral in the process. Gowsic Thevendran, 37, popped the question to his girlfriend of two years, Shaarujaa Nadarajah, 31, before parting ways at Bay and Wellington streets as Thevendran was running the full marathon and Nadarajah the half. The proposal was captured on camera, with the video going viral on social media, accumulating more than 450,000 views on Instagram alone. “I was just in the moment, and I was really happy,” Shaarujaa Nadarajah said in an interview with CTV News Toronto on Friday. “There was a big crowd around us ... (but) I just felt like the moment was mine and his.” How they met Nadarajah and Thevendran connected over Bumble in September 2024, a dating app where the woman makes the first move to strike up a conversation with a potential suitor. It had been about a week since Thevendran moved to Mississauga from Montreal for a new job. Nadarajah said she had a “funny rule” for dating at that time. “I just had a rule that I don’t date like suburban men,” Nadarajah said. But Thevendran was one worth breaking the rules for. “He was an anomaly to people I typically would go out with,” she said. The commute between Toronto and Mississauga was made easy after they learned later that Nadarajah’s parents lived about five minutes away from Thevendran’s home. What kept them running to each other for more was their shared values and experiences, despite being different people. “At the end of the day, I might like beer more and she likes wine more, but we had other things that we really cherished about each other,” Thevendran said, pointing to the importance of family as one of them. “The rest of it is history.” One interest they shared was their love for running. When they met, Nadarajah said running was a huge part of her life. A passion borne out of the pandemic, she said she joined run clubs, participated in a few half-marathons, and even ran a couple of races in New York City. As for Thevendran, he says he got more serious about running and prioritizing his physical health when he settled down in Mississauga. “It became something that we did quote often. She supported me throughout my long runs whenever I was building up to the marathon training,” Thevendran said. “We spent a lot of time running together and connecting, having our post-run pizza meals and chilling. It just became part of what we do as a couple, and it’s something that grew into a hobby or a habit.” Planning the proposal The idea to propose came when Nadarajah ran the New York Marathon about 15 months ago, he said. It took a lot of coordination, ensuring that the ring arrived on time, hiring a private photographer to take photos at a more secluded location, and figuring out the timing of it all. The idea didn’t fully go to plan, Thevendran said, but he said at the end it turned out better. “What happened was that I missed my mark,” he explained, saying they were supposed to get engaged in a more private place along the route. So, he had to find another photographer fast. “I locked eyes with someone who was a public photographer, and what ended up happening was I ended up proposing to Shaaru not at a private spot, but probably most likely the most public spot you can find out of the entire 42.2-kilometre stretch.” Though several people were around them at the time Thevendran got down on one knee; they both said it felt like it was just the two of them in that moment. The proposal completely took Nadarajah by surprise. In the days leading up to the marathon, Nadarajah said she was studying hard for her MBA as the program wraps up at the end of November. “Looking back, I think there are small indicators, like when we were at the start line, I remember that he was saying that he was really nervous,” she said. Even as he was proposing, Nadarajah said she was concerned he had been injured because of how he was holding onto the railing. “Then he was going into his pouch to grab the ring, and I thought he needed a gel,” she said. “He did eventually explicitly say, ‘I’m trying to propose to you.’” The runner’s high coupled with their newfound engagement propelled the couple faster down the finish line. Nadarajah said the last 400 to 500 metres of the race was one of the fastest splits of her life, while Thevendran said several of his run club friends commented on how his second half of the marathon was much faster than the first. “Maybe for some obvious reasons, but also because I was very motivated to get to the finish line and get to see my family and friends and my fiancé as well,” he said. “I was very intrinsically motivated, I was on cloud nine.” The couple celebrated at King Taps immediately after the marathon, a place that is near and dear to Nadarajah’s heart, as she used to work there, and it’s become a post-race tradition for her. Friends and family came to celebrate with them, carrying personalized signs specifically made for their engagement. “That was cute to see,” she added. The couple hadn’t started their wedding plans yet, but they plan to do so once Nadarajah completes her master’s degree. As for when they will run again, Thevendran said he already registered for the half marathon in Mississauga, and Nadarajah hopes to run in Chicago or Berlin next year. “Sharing this moment, and then sharing it with the people of Toronto, and for the many reasons why they run, I think is a little bit extra special for me for why I like participating,” Nadarajah said, adding that she usually runs to raise money for cancer. “Now this race is going to be even more memorable.”
