This is the medal for the Big 5 Sporting Goods Duke City Marathon that was held on October 21, 2012 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

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[Medal photo submitted by RIF #126 Alicia Eno.]

This is the medal for the Metro Health Grand Rapids Marathon that was held on October 21, 2012 in Grand Rapids Michigan.

A pretty, colorful medal.

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[Medal photo submitted by RIF #20 Laura Raeder.  Follow her on Twitter @LauraRaeder]

This is the medal for the GR8 Dundrum Run (an 8 mile multi-terrain race) that was held on October 20, 2012 in Dundrum, Northern Ireland.

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[Medal photo submitted by Mark Ramsey.  Follow him on Twitter @AMarkRamsey]

This is the medal for the Monster Mash Marathon that was held on October 20, 2012 in Dover, Delaware.

Loving the Halloween medals. This one is fun! Love the Frankenstein.

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[medal photos submitted by RIF #47 Nicole Knutson]

This is the medal for the Monster Dash Half Marathon that was held on October 21, 2012 in Chicago, Illinois.

Scary cool medal! Love the detail in the lettering! This is the first in a series. Check out the race website here.

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[Medal photo submitted by Lauren S.  Follow her on Twitter @laurens3386]

This is the medal for the Haunted Half Marathon that took place on October 20, 2012 in Cookeville, Tennessee.

Spooktacular medal. 😉 Love the bat with the sneaker charm. This race has awesome medals every year!

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[medal photo submitted by RIF #45 Leanne Dibrell]

When runner Cary Morgan decided he wanted to propose to his girlfriend, Micah Reagan, he used his legs and modern technology to come up with one of the most unique and romantic ways to propose to a fellow running fanatic.

Last weekend, Cary ran a 7.5 mile route in Birmingham, Alabama.  The distance or his pace that day were nothing spectacular for Morgan who is an accomplished marathoner.

He had Micah, whom he’d been dating for several months, meet him at the local coffee shop at the conclusion of his run.   Cary had his computer with him and was eager to show Micah his Garmin data upload from his satellite watch. A confused Micah soon realized that her boyfriend loves ‘out and backs.’

When Micah saw the route she quickly realized that it wasn’t just an ordinary training run for Cary. It was a ‘Proposal Run’ that would change each of their lives from that day forward.

As the New Kids On The Block so eloquently put it several years ago, “Step by step ooh baby/Gonna get to you girl /Step by step ooh baby /Really want you in my world”

Cary gave me a little bit of insight on the inspiration for his Proposal Run:

“Just hit me all the sudden. Never heard anything like it. I have a couple friends that once suggested we run routes that spelled curse words but that was yrs ago”

So we asked Micah for her version of the events that took place on October 13, 2012.  This is what she had to say:

How did you and Cary meet and what was the courtship like?

“Cary and I are two people that have a passion for running and met about a year ago in a running group in Birmingham, AL.  We have shared countless miles together both in training and races.  When we started running together, we immediately knew this friendship was different.  Cary has always said he wanted to marry his best friend and this was indeed an instant friendship for life.”

The way Cary proposed is such a unique way for a runner to propose to the runner of his dreams. How did he make that happen? What details went into the proposal that the Garmin map doesn’t tell?

“Cary logged on to a route maker website and designed a special course in downtown Birmingham.  It was a 7.5 mile route that spelled out “Will U Marry Me?”  He went out on Saturday morning and prayed his route would record correctly on his Garmin.  He had one shot to get it right.  He ran up and back, one block at a time. Once he finished the question, in typical runner fashion, ran all the way back to his car with the Garmin still on to receive complete credit for his venture.

When Cary logged in to Garmin connect, there it was!  Perfect, minus the U, which he had to make larger because of construction.  It was exactly as he had planned.  He asked me to meet him at a local coffee shop that most runners frequent after Saturday morning long runs. He warned everyone there of what he was about to do.  When I came to the coffee shop he was so excited about his run and wanted to show me.

The only reason I was not running too was an Achilles injury that has me cross training.  He began to want to show me his run and I was so upset that I could not run. My arms were crossed and I was thinking, why is he torturing me like this? Then it all made sense.  Cary said, “look at my route” and when I stared for a minute my mouth dropped as I discovered what it said.

All I could get out was, “are you serious?”  Then he dropped to one knee and began to tell me I was his best friend and that life would be complete if we finished together, still all I could get out was, “are you serious?”  He then pulls out a ring and places it in front of me.  I stared in utter joy and excitement that this IS for real and that here I was with my best friend and person I have grown to love with all my heart. All I could get out was “YES!”

He then shared several  videos with congratulatory messages that he had asked our friends to send.  They were absolutely beautiful and made the moment even more special.  I was in disbelief of how many people showed us love that day, some even showing up to the coffee shop  to congratulate us!  I am a lucky girl who has found her prince charming.  Our road to each other was long, hard and seemed endless, but in perfect timing we were placed in each other’s paths to finish the race together!”

So what do you two have planned for your wedding?

“I have to give the wedding details too, right? We thought nothing else would be more fitting than to have a running wedding at the Seaside, FL half marathon in March. Several of our friends have signed up to share in our special day.  I am going to wear a running dress and Cary is wearing a tuxedo t-shirt.  When the race is over, we will run out on the beach to begin life’s race that is marked before us.  We have trained hard and recovered from numerous injuries and are well prepared to begin our marathon journey as Mr and Mrs Cary Morgan!”

On behalf of runners all over the globe Run It Fast wants to congratulate Cary and Micah and wish them the best as they head towards the starting line of marriage together.

Cary’s ‘Proposal Run’ Garmin Data Upload

RUMOR: If you run Cary’s ‘Proposal Run’ route backwards it spells out “Bart Yasso is the Devil!”

Cary is member RIF #201 in Run It Fast – The Club.

This is the medal for the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon that was held on October 7, 2012 in National Harbor, Maryland.

Ok, this medal I had to research because I was really curious about why a hand was grabbing the bridge. Seemed a little scary. I found out that it’s a reference to this sculpture called The Awakening that can be seen along the course. I think it’s appropriate since a lot of runners experience an “awakening” through running races. 😉

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[Medal photo submitted by Laurie.  Follow her on Twitter @LZalac]

This is the 1st place medal for the Ruffner Mountain High Crusher Ridge 21K that was held on October 13, 2012 in Birmingham, Alabama.

Wild, handmade medal for 1st place! Definitely one of a kind!

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[Medal photo submitted by Trailblazer TC.  Follow on Twitter @TrailblazerTC]

Here is a look at where everyone is running this weekend. We had 50 responses this week. Good luck to everyone and Run It Fast!

To join Run It Fast – The Club then click HERE to read more details.

Where Run It Fast Runners Are Running This Weekend (Oct 20-21, 2012)

Storified by Joshua Holmes · Fri, Oct 19 2012 10:43:11