When David Alvarez originally tried distance running on a cross country team, he “hated it.” He didn’t like the individual feel of it and turned to more traditional team sports.

It’s a good thing he has since changed his tune.

At Flossmoor’s Hidden Gem Half Marathon in 2022, Dave, now a prolific distance runner, met his bride and fellow running enthusiast, Brittany Matteson. The two were wed less than a week after running this year’s Hidden Gem.

“We just started out as running friends,” Dave said. “We kind of started a relationship from there.”

Britt, 35, has been running ever since she was little, growing up in Harvard, Illinois, including track in junior high and cross country in high school. After college, she continued running for fun and got into distance running circa 2021, running roughly six marathons since.

Dave, 36, who grew up in Homer Glen, ran to keep in shape. But it wasn’t until after college that he got the idea to try a marathon. He spectated one in 2011 and asked himself: “Why would people do this to themselves?” But by 2012 he ran his first.

“I was actually surprised that I signed up for it and did it,” he said.

Dave realized he was “actually not too bad” at it and has since brought his marathon total to 22. He also found the “team” aspect he craved in DW Running — doubly so now that Britt is part of the team.

“We motivate each other,” Dave said. “We show up and support each other.”

Perfect timing

In 2022, Britt went to the Hidden Gem for the first time with her old running team, hearing great things about the race and seeing it as perfect timing for anybody running the Chicago Marathon.

“It’s a few weeks out, so you get that one last day to practice your race routine — your shoes and your gels and all that stuff,” Britt said. “It’s like one last dress rehearsal before Chicago. ”

Dave ran the Hidden Gem the year before, but after having a “horrible race” on a hot day, he would not have called it a favorite. In fact, he was reluctant to go back in 2022 but said a coach twisted his arm.

“I’m glad I did,” Dave said.

During the race, Dave recognized Britt from some other runs, and his team crossed paths with her over the course of the race. Dave said he thought she was attractive but had never before introduced himself.

“I’m not the type of guy that just goes up to a girl and flirts,” he said. “I never was.”

But a perfect set of circumstances at the Gem in 2022 had emboldened him. And Dave decided to approach Britt while getting a drink with his friends after a great race.

“I was with this group of guys I trained with all summer,” he said. “I was in great shape at that point. That was a personal record race for me. I was feeling really good. So afterward, I saw Britt and was like, ‘Hey, How’s it going?’”

Britt recalled Dave complimenting her on the race and asking questions about it. Guys had approached her before after runs, but something about this felt different.

“Dave had this welcoming, genuine attitude to him,” she said. “We just walked down the street and talked about the race like we were old friends.”

It turned out to be the start of something more.

Head over heels

After meeting at the Hidden Gem, Dave and Britt started seeing each other regularly and bonded over a number of things, including their shared values around their families and friends. They have run roughly a half dozen races together — though they typically do their own thing, rather than try to keep pace with one another. And they’ve spectated each other at marathons such as Houston, Tokyo, London and New York.

It was while in New York City for a marathon that Dave proposed to Britt in Central Park.

“It was obviously a very special and emotional moment for us,” he said.

When it came to planning their wedding, they set the date for Sept. 13, planning around a couple of marathons. They found their venue in Oak Brook, loved it, booked it and then a month later realized the Gem might wind up the day after their wedding. But it ended up being scheduled for Sept. 7 this year.

“We got lucky,” Dave said.

Britt said the Gem has become a favorite. She particularly likes the entertainment and support.

“The community really comes out and shows up for that race,” she said. “We wanted to make sure we could run the Gem.”

So, on Sept. 7 they ran the Hidden Gem together once again and on Sept. 13 they were married. And, yes, running played a notable role in the celebration.

The couple’s running coach served as the officiant. Many of their teammates were in attendance. And a signature cocktail called the Stacked Brick was a nod to a term used by their coach about building good training foundations.

“We also like that it can relate to our relationship,” Britt said. “Each memory or moment is a stacked brick that got us to our wedding.”

Dave added, “Most of our friends and family know how serious we are about running. We like the little bit of flavor.”

The couple even planned an optional run for the day after their wedding. And their honeymoon is slated for Hawaii in December — not so coincidentally at the time of the Honolulu Marathon.

In addition to being the reason Britt and Dave met, running remains a core interest. So they are both keenly aware of why sharing it is so important.

“We have the same work ethic,” Britt said. “We’re both very disciplined when it comes to working and running. We’re both up at 4 a.m., getting our runs in before work, and then working all day, and then sometimes getting another workout in. If we weren’t on the same page, I could see how that might cause some issues in some relationships. But I think we’re both just so ‘go go go’ that it works.”