It’s love on the run
Racing to 5th year of wedded bliss
They’re in it for the long run. A couple who got hitched midway through the Brooklyn Half Marathon in 2017 will celebrate their fifth anniversary by hitting the road, and competing in the annual race that sealed the deal.
Seasoned lovebirds Alex Salazar, 44, and Krissa Cetner, 41, plan to pound the pavement for 13.1 miles at the New York Road Runners event May 21 in honor of the first leg of their marriage.
“We’re five years in and we still like each other. We survived COVID, being cooped up in a house with a 2-year-old,” said Salazar, a technical consultant who lives with Cetner in Prospect Heights. “Marriage has its ups and downs, obviously. Two years of pandemic will add some stress. But, overall, we still have a strong relationship.”
The pair’s speedy wedding ceremony — held at mile 6 of the race, at 11th Street and Prospect Park West — made headlines, along with their fitness-centric love story.
At the time, Salazar’s ordained friend, Alex Valentine, married them in front of 100 friends and they slipped into “Just Married” bibs.
These days, they have a 3-yearold son named Myles — running pun intended — which makes it more difficult to train together.
“The name was by dorky design because we’re dorky runner people,” said Salazar, adding that having a kid forces them to run separately. “We used to run together but now that we have a 3-year-old, it’s harder.
“It’s still very much a part of our lives, even though we don’t get to do it as much,” he said.
Spandex tux
For their run-iversary, they plan to sport the same custom-made wedding gear — including a spandex tuxedo for Salazar— with the hashtag #BKhalfwedding printed on the back of their tops.
They’ll stop again midway through the race, which begins in Prospect Park and stretches south, to snap a photo.
Cetner, an orthopedic nurse practitioner, said the race is the best way to honor putting your best foot forward in good times and bad.
“Running is one of the reasons we’re together and we love it,” she said. “We can’t think of a better way to celebrate our anniversary.”
At the finish line, near the Coney Island Boardwalk, New York Road Runners is planning a celebration with Myles and the couple’s one-eyed rescue dog, Mike Wazowski, who was named after the cyclops from “Monsters, Inc.”
The group also plans to give the couple new bibs for the race, this time reading: “BROOKLYN HALF 5-YEAR ANNIVERSARY.”