The Tribune

EDDIE Vega might not have won Marathon Bahamas, but he certainly won the heart of his longtime girlfriend when the couple crossed the finish line on Sunday.

With hundreds of onlookers standing by on Arawak Cay, a barefoot Mr Vega dropped to one knee and popped the question to Nilda Birch.

With her hand cupped over her mouth, a shocked Ms Birch took a moment to respond.

When prompted by the crowd to give her answer she replied, “It’s about damned time.”

The two have been together for more than a decade.

Mr Vega co-ordinated the proposal with organisers of Marathon Bahamas, who had the DJ play “Here Comes The Bride” after Ms Birch said ‘yes.’

Mr Vega was born in the Philippines and moved to Guam at six. He has lived in Raleigh, North Carolina and made local headlines when it was announced that he would run Marathon Bahamas barefoot.

Now, he’s making headlines for his impending nuptials.

“After being together for 13 years, I finally decided to propose to Nilda and I wanted to do it in a very special place and during a marathon event,” said the 55 year old.

“Marathon Bahamas turned out to be that most perfect place to give up my bachelor status of 17 years and get hitched for the third time.”

Sunshine Insurance Marketing Co-ordinator, Rogan Smith congratulated the couple and said she hopes they return to the Bahamas to tie the knot.

“Most of the time when people are watching the finish line, it’s to see which runner crosses first. But, for the first time, people were waiting around to see who would get proposed to. Earlier during a TV broadcast our chairman, Franklyn Wilson let it slip that someone was going to pop the question, but no one knew who it would be. Most people were excited to see Eddie coming down the final stretch barefoot. But, when he dropped to one knee, it got explosive,” said Ms Smith.

“We’re just so very happy that he chose our event to propose to Nilda. They’re such a beautiful couple and we hope that they come back to the Bahamas and get married. We at Marathon Bahamas would love to be a part of the celebration.”

After the engagement, the happy couple walked over to the beach and buried their feet in the sand.