This runner got engaged at Mile 23 of the Boston Marathon

“Two of my dreams came true on the same day.”

Julio Salguero and Erika Sanabria got engaged during the Boston Marathon. Julio Salguero

Erika Sanabria dreamed of running the Boston Marathon. She also dreamed of the day her boyfriend would propose.

Both of those dreams came true on Monday.

Julio Salguero got down on one knee at Mile 23 during the Boston Marathon and surprised Sanabria with a ring amid cheers from her family, closest friends, and local running club.

The Melrose couple, who met while they were students at Somerville High School, began dating in 2016 and have been together for 10 years.

“I was really waiting for the right time and place,” said Salguero, 30, who works in construction. “As soon as I knew she had qualified for 2026, I just knew. I knew this was my chance. I wanted it to be special, I wanted it to be a surprise.”

At 8 a.m. on the morning of the marathon, Salguero arrived at Mile 23 on Beacon Street in Brookline where Sanabria’s Revere running club, the Shark Runners, gathered to support the runners. Sanabria, 30, joined the club three years ago when she became serious about running. Since, the hospitality worker has run three marathons, qualifying for Boston in the past two.

Salguero shared his plan with some of their friends, who then accompanied him with signs that read: “Bebé will you marry me?” Bebé, the Spanish word for baby, is a term of endearment the couple uses.

When he got to Mile 23, Salguero saw that there was a gate separating the runners from the spectators and, because he didn’t want to propose through a barrier, asked a marathon volunteer if the gate could be opened when his girlfriend came by.

“I automatically got a, ‘No, we can’t do that,’” Salguero said, which made him even more nervous about pulling off the surprise.

As he pondered the dilemma, he saw a police officer and explained the situation.

“I spoke to him and he said, ‘You know what, don’t worry about it. I’ve got you,’” Salguero said. “He did all of this for me, and I was so happy.”

The plan: Salguero would track his girlfriend’s progress online and tell the police officer when she was five minutes away so that he could open the gate for the proposal.

Boston Marathon engagement — Julio Salguero and Erika Sanabria got engaged at the Boston Marathon. – Julio XX

Sanabria said her plan all along was to stop at Mile 23 to greet her running club and boyfriend and take a few photos, but she did not expect a proposal.

When she approached Mile 23, Salguero said he reached out and gently pulled her through the open gate and into the spectator space. He presented her with 50 roses. She hugged him and then he handed off the roses, dropped down on one knee, and opened the ring box in his hand. He popped the question as her brother looked on and their friends held up the proposal signs.

Sanabria said yes as confetti rained down and the crowd cheered. Then she kissed her new fiancé.

Salguero put the ring on his future wife’s finger, hugged her, and pumped his fist in the air in triumph. Someone played their song, “Count on Me” by Bruno Mars. Then the runner’s friends all rushed in for a group hug, including some fellow Shark Runners members decked out in shark costumes.

“I was very, very happy,” she said. “It was very special to have everyone there for that special moment.”

The engagement was captured on video and shared on Instagram, where it currently has nearly 900 likes.

Before the surprise engagement, she was already reeling from a dazzling day.

“I think it was everything I expected it to be and more,” she said about the Boston Marathon. “The energy, the people, all the support, and the volunteers. The job that they do is amazing. It was well organized. Everything was just amazing.”

Having said that, the race was definitely a challenge, she said, especially Heartbreak Hill. But when the going got tough, thoughts of her mother helped her through.

“One of the biggest reasons I run is for my mom,” she said.

Her mother is a cancer survivor who lives in her home country of El Salvador.

“Seeing her and just thinking about it in my mind, I was like, ‘This is nothing compared to what she had been through and if she can do that then I can do this.’”

Newly engaged, she then completed the final three miles of the race — wearing her engagement ring and carrying an El Salvador flag.

“Two of my dreams came true on the same day,” Sanabria said. “It was the best three miles.”

After completing the race, she called her mother in El Salvador to share the good news.

As for the wedding, Sanabria said they haven’t yet set a date.

“We’ve been together for 10 years, and I plan to be with him a lifetime, so I think we have time to plan a beautiful wedding the way we both want to,” she said.

Kristi Palma

Travel writer

Kristi Palma is the travel writer for Boston.com, focusing on the six New England states. She covers airlines, hotels, and things to do across Boston and New England. She is the author of the award-winning Scenic Six, a weekly travel newsletter.

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