07/17/2026
on a fateful day, june 27, 2015, zach and mark both participated in the pride & remembrance run. but their story actually began seven years earlier, as freshmen at queen’s university in 2008✨
mark & zach both embarked on their undergrad degrees in 2008 at queen’s university, both in totally different residences and totally different programs. however, thanks to a mutual connection, they met briefly during frosh week. the following seven years would become a series of missed connections: visits to one another’s homes while the other was away, graduation trips to nyc with different groups of friends that were supposed to meet up but didn’t, and even a near chance to become roommates in 2014, when mark considered taking over a friend’s lease before ultimately deciding to live on his own🤍
fast forward to 2015, mark & zach had both been on their own paths of self-discovery and coming out to friends and family. at the finish line of the pride & remembrance run, there was a spark of recognition and familiarity, and they instantly started chatting. mark realized he’d actually missed a full lap of the run and wanted to hightail out of there, but they exchanged contact details. after a series of dates, meeting each other’s friends and family, living together, and, of course, traveling across europe and asia together, they got engaged in 2018 and married in 2019 (just in the nick of time!)🎉
they continue to be happily married almost seven years later, with a shared home, their dog brady, and countless memories made (27 countries traveled together and counting!). despite what could be considered many missed opportunities over the years, the pride & remembrance run was truly the perfect crossroads where mark & zach were at the right place, at the right time❤️
we wish mark and zach best of luck for the future and hope to see them at our race every year
