What to know
- Mississauga couple Shaarujaa Nadarajah and Gowsic Thevendran got engaged mid-race during the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon weekend.
- Nadarajah was completely surprised, initially thinking her fiancé was injured or reaching for an energy gel before he popped the question.
- The couple met on Bumble in September 2024 and bonded over running, waterfront routes and post-run pizza dates.
- The couple hopes to run more major marathons together, with Nadarajah hoping their story inspires others to find a partner who supports their ambitions.
A Toronto Waterfront Marathon runner surprised his fiancée with a proposal mid-race, turning an already memorable running milestone into a moment the couple says they will cherish forever.
Shaarujaa Nadarajah was running the half-marathon on Sunday with her fiancé, Gowsic Thevendran, who was taking on his very first full marathon at the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon.
The Mississauga-based couple had planned to run the first half of the race together before splitting off at the bottom of Bay Street, where Nadarajah would continue toward the half-marathon finish line while Thevendran carried on with the full marathon.
But she had no idea he had something else planned before they went their separate ways.
Video of the pair went viral on social media after Thevendran stopped mid-marathon to pop the question.
“I was like genuinely shocked,” Nadarajah told Now Toronto
She explained that Thevendran ran ahead, only to meet her a couple of minutes later at a barrier near Bay and Wellington streets.
“First, I thought he was injured. He was going into his pouch to grab something, and I thought he needed a gel,” Nadarajah explained.
Instead, Thevendran was preparing to propose.
“I think at some point in that interaction, he had to be like very explicit with me, and he had to be like, ‘hey, babe… I’m trying to propose to you,’” she said. “Then I was like, ‘oh, okay, I didn’t know.’”
It was a moment Nadarajah said she never saw coming.
The couple met on a dating app in September 2024, after Thevendran moved to Mississauga from Montreal for a new job promotion.
Running became an important part of the pair’s relationship. Nadarajah said she was already involved in Toronto’s running community and had competed in several races, including the New York City Marathon.
Inspired by his partner’s passion for running, Thevendran decided to train for his first full marathon. Over time, running evolved from something they pursued individually into a hobby they shared.
“We started to go on runs together,” Nadarajah said. “We did a lot of runs in the Port Credit area and on the Toronto waterfront, and then we always liked to go try a different pizzeria after we [went] for a run.”
Meanwhile, the couple had talked about potentially tying the knot after Nadarajah completed her MBA. But Thevendran jump-started the process with his intention to propose during their first marathon together.
The proposal itself did not go entirely according to plan
Thevendran arranged for a photographer to capture the moment, but the photographer was positioned one street away – where he was planning to propose before he found out the two had to split up for Thevendran to continue the rest of his marathon.
“He was actually supposed to propose on Bay and Front, but he got so excited he ran up to Bay and Wellington, and then obviously the TCS rules [that] you can’t run backwards,” Nadarajah said. “So, he was like, ‘Now or never.’”
Once Nadarajah realized what had happened, the surprise turned into a moment of happiness for the couple.
Despite the crowds gathered along the sides, cheering on the runners and the newly engaged couple, Nadarajah said the proposal felt like a moment shared just between the two of them.
“I was just genuinely really happy,” she explained. “I was surprised, but then I was really, really happy that we got to have this moment.”
For Nadarajah, the proposal was meaningful not only because it marked the next chapter of their relationship, but also because it happened while they were doing something they both loved.
She said that, during the proposal, Thevendran spoke about how they had supported each other during the first half of the race and how he wanted that support to continue as they moved into the rest of their lives.
“[He said] ‘This is just the beginning, and we’re going to continue to run races together alongside each other, and this is just one moment to kind of mark our journey that we’re going to kind of start together,’” she said.
After their intimate moment, Nadarajah said people have been stopping to congratulate the couple.
She said sharing the moment has been a positive experience overall.
“It’s been so heartwarming to not only see people give us this reaction, but also feel like they had this wholesome moment with us,” she said.
The couple’s running journey is far from over.
Nadarajah said it has been a lifelong goal of hers to run all the major marathons around the world, and the pair may try their luck in the lottery for races in Chicago or Berlin next year. They also hope to run the Paris Marathon together one day.
Thevendran also signed up for the Beneva Mississauga Marathon in April, and Nadarajah said she may join him.
For the couple, the proposal was the start of another shared adventure.
Nadarajah hopes their story will inspire other runners and couples to find someone who supports their ambitions.
“It’s really just about inspiring other runners, and also inspiring other people who found their partner who can be supportive and can not only be their running partner but be their life partner,” she said.
