While one couple tied the knot during this year's Chicago Marathon, another runner, who is single, looked to find his true love on the 26.2-mile course itself.
Steve Bergstrom has earned quite a bit of attention lately after his quest to find a date during the marathon went viral. Bergstrom, a marketing professional in the Chicago area, ran the marathon without a shirt, and on his back, he had someone write "SINGLE / on Facebook / Steve Bergstrom."
The idea was inspired by Bergstrom's busy schedule, according to Runner's World.
"I have a job that occupies a lot of my time," Bergstrom told the publication. "Having a ridiculous hour commute each way, and then also being dedicated to my gym and dedicated to my sports, I don't have a ton of spare time on my hands."
Despite his busyness, Bergstrom was still looking for a date, an athletic one in particular. This led him to write the advertisement on his back, where other marathoners would see it, instead of his front, where spectators would see it, according to Runner's World.
After finishing the race, Bergstrom received several messages on Facebook from women responding to his advertisement, including one woman who also held a sign looking to capture the attention of a potential date. Her sign showed a photo of a cat and said "My mom is looking for a #catdad."
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"I said, 'You know, with me showing up at the marathon with my sign on my back and you showing up at the marathon with that sign, we are missing out on a golden opportunity for future storytelling if we don't meet up and have a drink," Bergstrom told Runner's World. "And we did, and it was great."
Bergstrom's story has since gone global, and the advertisement seems to be working so far. According to his Instagram account, he's gone on at least three dates with the same woman. (No word on whether it's the woman with the #catdad sign.)
