Nicole June Reporting
njune@clarksvillenow.com
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – During the recent Go Commando Half Marathon and 5K race in Clarksville, a couple was racing toward the finish line for a different reason – the start of their marriage.
Gary and Jessica Stonesifer were married immediately after completing the race in an intimate ceremony at Liberty Park. Family and close friends gathered to watch the couple wed behind the Wilma Rudolph Events Center and their pastor, Michael Bayne of Grace Community Church, performed the ceremony. Gary and Jessica wore cotton t-shirts that resembled the traditional tux and wedding dress combination.
The two hurried off after the wedding to make preparations for their blissful honeymoon in Jamaica, from which they just returned.
Gary and Jessica met through the military when they were working on a project overseas in 2009, but did not begin dating until Jessica moved to Clarksville in 2011. “He just woke up one morning and said he’d be honored to spend the rest of his life with me, and that was that,” Jessica said of the proposal.
Because both have military backgrounds, running has always been something the couple can do together. They have run in each race since Go Commando began in 2011. Initially, Jessica threw out the idea of getting married at the race as a joke, but they soon realized it was the perfect opportunity for them. “We felt like the race was a great symbol for the occasion,” Jessica said. “In my vows, I wrote that just like our run, marriage has uphills and down hills, fair weather and rain, and at some point one or both of us will want to quit and walk. But what we start together we will finish together and we will have a great life of memories along the journey.”
Despite a heavy downpour and biting winds, the couple ran every step of the 13.1 miles side by side.