Ironman Minister
I am an endurance athlete with a long list of accomplishments including approximately 200 completed races, of which nearly half are triathlons, and of which four are Ironman triathlons (including the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii). I am also an ordained minister, and recently married a couple while running the NYC Marathon. I’ve now decided that for those couples who want to get married while competing in an endurance event, or even a thrill-seeking event (like skydiving), I can provide the service like very few others can.
In 2008, two of my closest friends got married and asked me to officiate their nuptials. This prompted me to pursue becoming an ordained minister and since then, I have performed several marriages and a baby naming ceremony.
Most recently, in the fall of 2011, a couple named Raymond and Mary decided that while running in the NYC Marathon, they would exchange vows and get married. They had a judge lined up who would perform the ceremony but at the last moment, he became unavailable. With the couple living in Amarillo, Texas, they had few options but asked some friends if they knew of anyone in NYC who might fit the bill. By chance, our mutual good friend Nicki referred them to me. We eventually spoke on a Friday, met up the next day on Saturday, put together our plan for Sunday, then set that plan in motion. Come Sunday morning at the 21.5 mile mark, Raymond and Mary met me where I stood along with their families and a photographer, they exchanged hugs and kisses and took some photos, then we set off on the marathon course to begin the ceremony. About a mile later, we completed the ceremony but not before being noticed by a press motorcycle that caught up and began filming us live as we ran and married. It was a wonderful and amazing moment, and one that now lives in the cybersphere forever with coverage of this unique event having been shown on innumerable news shows, ESPN, print articles, and in international media.
If you are interested in finding out more about how to plan a wedding like this, please contact me and we can discuss options and planning. I assure you that I will provide you with the legs to keep up, a ceremony to be remembered, and the help in creating an amazing moment to be remembered for the rest of your lives.