5 days ago
Boyfriend Just Wants To See Girlfriend Race—What He Does Melts Hearts
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A boyfriend's determined effort to cheer on his girlfriend during a race, including climbing a tree to spot her in the crowd, has melted hearts across the internet.
Aliana King captured the endearing moment in a TikTok video. She was running the RBC Brooklyn Half Marathon when her boyfriend, facing poor cell service amid thousands of runners, resorted to an unconventional method to find her: climbing a tree. King, 25, told Newsweek about the moment and how it reflects her boyfriend's adorable personality.
"The crazy thing about these races is, right after the finish line, there's usually a distance you have to walk to actually get out," King said. "It's always quite hectic because everyone is finding their loved ones at the same time … To add to the already difficult situation, when there are thousands of people in the same spot using their phones, there's basically no service."
Photos from Aliana King's TikTok video of her boyfriend.
Photos from Aliana King's TikTok video of her boyfriend.
@aliana_king/TikTok
Despite the communication challenges, King had a feeling that her boyfriend would find a way.
"The tree was right in front of the runners exit and I spotted him pretty easily actually," she said. "In a way, I was expecting it a bit, because he does stuff like that all the time."
When King ran a full marathon, her boyfriend rode his bike to different points in the race to cheer her on, finding lamp posts or trash cans to climb so that King could find him easily. So, when she finished this race, she knew to look up.
And when King finally spotted her boyfriend, her reaction turned to filming.
"I thought it was so cute that he was just posted in a tree looking for me, but I was mostly just excited to find him and get to celebrate my finish with him," King said. "What you see in the video is him looking at my location on his phone and then when it finally updates, he realizes I'm close and so he looks up and spots me."
@aliana_king
Every race I find @Kyle Bary on top of lamp posts, trash cans, and trees to get the best viev of me running and to make sure I can see him too. Couldn't ask for a better partner to do difficult and beautiful things with. #nycrunshalfmarathon #brooklynhalf ♬ BIRDS OF A FEATHER - Billie Eilish
King described her boyfriend's joyous personality—something clearly reflected in the video.
"My favorite things about him is his joy," she said. "He has tail-wagging energy all the time. So, that moment, his reaction, and him coming down to dance with me was all just how he is all the time."
King also shared a powerful message about relationships.
"I feel like we're taught to compromise and that you can't always get it all in a relationship," King said. "He has taught me that it's possible for someone to check all your boxes and add some, too. He has taught me so much about what it looks like to be treated the way I deserve—and now I just could never settle for anything less.
"If he doesn't climb a tree for you, physically or metaphorically, he's not your man," King added.
