She asked Mark. "I really thought he was the only person I knew who would agree to do it," she said.
Mark, who then lived in Pottstown, says it like this: "I was the only one crazy enough."
Their race preparations - and their romance - began with a 10-mile run along the Schuylkill River Trail, from Manayunk to Conshohocken and back.
"After that, we decided to go out to dinner to celebrate," Mark said. Dinner was so much fun that Mark and Lauren realized they wanted to pursue more than a marathon.
The new couple spent their weekends cooking healthy meals and watching DVDs. Going out wasn't a good option when the next day dawned with a 10- or 20-mile run.
In November 2009, almost a year after they met, Lauren and Mark ran the marathon, finishing together in 4 hours, 14 minutes.
How does forever sound?
Six months after crossing the finish line, the couple bought a home in Collegeville.
With so many friends' engagement parties and weddings filling summer and fall weekends, their housewarming party didn't happen until a Saturday in early October. It was quite a party: 120 guests, some of whom flew in from out of town.
There were last-minute preparations, and people to pick up at the airport. So Lauren, who is now 27, was flabbergasted when Mark, now 29, said they should fit in a five-mile run before everyone arrived.
Still, she joined him on the Schuylkill River Trail. They were headed for a particularly scenic spot when they saw signs saying flooding had closed the trail.
Mark quickly suggested a detour to another street that would bring them down to the river. Part way down the street, they again had to stop. "We could see there was flooding in front of us," he said.
They had stopped on a little hill. Mark got down on one knee.
"Do you know how much you mean to me?" he asked Lauren.
