This Beaufort couple got engaged at a marathon. They’ve been running every since

You have to be quick on your feet to catch up with Patrick and Lauren Kelly.

The Beaufort couple always seems to be moving, but most of that is by design.

It’s been that way since they moved here in 2008, and it didn’t take them long to turn their energies into helping create and develop the Beaufort Twilight Run, now in its 11th year.

“Running, staying fit, enjoying the outdoors, and eating healthy and sustainably-sourced food has been something that our family naturally incorporates into our day-to-day life, and is something we try to impart to our children,” said Lauren.

That philosophy comes together for them in the BTR on March 23. It’s there, on a winding course around Habersham, that the Kelly family will once again see their vision come to fast-paced life. Back when they were just newlyweds, thinking that their Habersham neighborhood’s streets were a perfect race course, Lauren and Patrick got together with the Riverview Charter School’s fundraising chair and suggested something beneficial to both school and community.

“I always look back on that moment as one that unknowingly committed me to much more than I had anticipated.” said Lauren.

What began as a 5k walk and 8k run has now evolved into a true competition that draws regional runners, weekend warriors, world-class athletes and families with time and a sense of adventure.

“We’ve added and taken things away based on what seemed to fit the needs of a wide spectrum of people,” said Lauren. “What hasn’t changed is the focus on high quality organization, an awesome race course, and something that the entire family can participate in and grow with.”

That growth includes, predictably, the three Kelly children, one of whom now attends Riverview as a first-grader. Of course, that’s not something that was foreseen when the race was in its own infancy.

“Last year she did the kids fun run, the mile run, and the 5k walk,” said Lauren. “It was a little much.” Her exhaustion wasn’t enough to dampen her dad’s enthusiasm, however.

“We got started helping Riverview and the BTR before kids were even in our minds, so now, it is amazing to think about us having a 1st grader there,” said Patrick.

If the family atmosphere isn’t your thing, the Kellys hope the race itself will be. Last year a featured speaker for the pasta dinner the night before the race was Olympic marathoner Ryan Hall. This year’s speaker is 10k National Champion Stephanie Bruce, but she won’t be the only trailblazer near the course. There are also usually a few runners gunning for state records or personal bests at the race. Don’t feel bad as they whiz by you - just appreciate the breeze left in their wake.

“We want a chance for folks to go out there and really test themselves against good competition,” said Patrick.

Like the Sea Island Rotary Biathlon at Hunting Island in March, The BTR also offers some unique aspects that other regional races don’t offer. The Cooper River Bridge Run in Charleston is a bucket list kind of thing, but is set-up much the same as it was in 1978. Here, BTR participants enjoy the unique experience of running in the evening with hundreds of spectators watching, all of them ready for the after-party.

For some, the race has become not only a yearly highlight, but a way of life.

“I have enjoyed seeing kids start out doing the fun run at age 3 or four, and then gradually working up to some of the longer events,” said Lauren. “In some ways, I think the BTR has spurred a running culture in Beaufort, especially for middle schoolers, that we hadn’t seen before.”

It can be argued that it all goes back to a meeting between two aspiring planners at the work conference in Rhode Island where the Kellys met.

What else could we have expected from a couple who got engaged right before a marathon in Baltimore?

Now it’s up to the rest of us to keep up.

This story was originally published February 27, 2019 at 1:24 PM.