When Samantha (Sam) Kese signed up to participate in the I Am Woman 5k, little did she know that the surprise of a lifetime – a marriage proposal – would be waiting for her at the finish line. She was simply excited to be part of a fun community tradition that raises funds for such a worthwhile cause.
“This was my first time participating in this race,” she said. “It was such a powerful experience, even before I had any idea what was coming at the finish line.”
The annual event, hosted by Centra Women & Children’s Services, promotes fitness, brings the community together and improves the lives of families in central Virginia. Proceeds benefit the Centra Foundation’s Pediatric Care Fund, which supports pediatric care across Centra’s service area, providing comfort, treatment and hope to hundreds of sick infants and children annually. Since the race takes place toward the end of October, many participants wear Halloween costumes.
“When I saw the I Am Woman 5k, I knew I had to be a part of that,” Sam said. She ran with her sister, Maggie Kese, and future sister-in-law, Madeline Tilley. The trio dressed up in Halloween leggings and custom T-shirts with the message “as strong as the woman next to me” emblazoned on the front.
Sam remembers telling Maggie and Madeline she wanted to cross the finish line holding their hands. However, her running partners had made other plans with her soon-to-be fiancé, Peter Tatanish.
“I grabbed their hands, but they quickly fell back,” Sam said. “I remember thinking, why did they let go?! We had a plan!”
That’s when Peter’s plan came into focus.
“I looked forward and saw Peter and his boys, Kai and Kaden, at the finish line – Peter down on one knee and the boys holding a sign: Will you marry my Daddy? It was the most magical moment,” Sam shared, adding that she was “crying happy tears” and thinking, I cannot wait to marry my best friend and become an official bonus mom to these boys I love so much.
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To make it even better, Peter proposed with her maternal grandmother’s ring. Her grandmother passed away in 2022.
The couple plans to tie the knot in April. They met eight years ago and started dating in 2021. They plan to remain local since Peter works for Lynchburg Regional Airport and Samantha is the regional director for Strategic Therapy Associates.
“Peter said he had been planning the proposal a year in advance but just didn’t know how or when exactly he was going to do it until my sister told him that we were running this race together,” Sam shared. “The whole family worked together to pull off the surprise of a lifetime. Also, how awesome is it that I got engaged in pumpkin leggings and the weekend of Halloween, my favorite holiday, while participating in a great event for a good cause?!”
*Photos provided by Sam Kese.
Funds raised through I Am Woman 5k race save the lives of our tiniest patients and provide specialized newborn and pediatric equipment such as fetal monitors, infant warmers, omni beds for the Intensive Care Nursery and more, allowing families to remain local. The race is one of several third-party and service line events that benefit pediatric care, cancer care, MAAM (Mammograms Annually A Must) and patients and families who stay at the Rosemary & George Dawson Inn.
