The Bermuda Half-Marathon Derby turned out to be a truly special occasion for Kélah Osborne after her partner proposed to her while competing in the iconic race.

Footballer Tre Ming approached his unsuspecting partner of three years on Cedar Avenue, wearing a T-shirt with the words “Will You Marry Me?” emblazoned on the front and back. He went down on one knee to pop the big question — which she accepted after overcoming her initial shock.

“She was speechless and surprised. She’s really never surprised, so that was everything,” Mr Ming told The Royal Gazette.

“Everything went according to plan with her not knowing and being surprised, so definitely a green tick for me. She didn’t know and that’s what matters.

“I am just grateful and was glad that I was able to handle what I set out to do.”

Mr Ming came up with the idea on the “spur of the moment” after deciding to break away from traditional methods of proposing marriage.

“I didn’t want to do the traditional thing like have a dinner and propose,” he said.

“I thought, ‘What can I do that’s over the top? and said ‘Why not do it while running the race?’ because my friend and I were already running it. I thought this would be a nice gesture — it exceeded all expectations.

“It was spur of the moment and I was just like, ‘Well, let me go put it on a T-shirt’, which wouldn’t cost too much, and it would just be more so the thought that counts. But I had to run with that ring in the little fanny pack, which is what killed me.

“It was just bouncing the whole race.”

Mr Ming’s idea also took its toll on his body.

“I literally ran the entire race to get down on one knee and couldn’t get up almost, and now my knee is in shambles,” he said. “I am supposed to have surgery this summer and this definitely has expedited it.”

Mr Ming enjoyed playing success with North Village Rams, who finished the 2024-25 season as the island’s dominant club team after winning the Premier Division and FA Cup double.

“My goal was to deliver Village a league title,” said the 31-year-old former Bermuda midfielder, who was part of the storied national team that qualified for the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup.

“I was able to do that and go one better in winning the FA Cup.”

• Video by Kyle McNeil