Amber & Tom in St. Charles, IL

Sometimes last place isn’t so bad. When Amber agreed to run an obstacle course race in Jackson Park, she did so at the insistence of her roommate. The Bride Amber Hoyt, 28, event planner The Groom Thomas (Tom) French, 31, chiropractor The Date July 1 She arrived that morning and saw someone she knew, so she interrupted the conversation the friend was having with a tall stranger, who seemed slightly irked. As the race wound down, Amber was in last place but as she neared the finish line she heard cheers of encouragement -- from that very same tall stranger. After the race, Amber was introduced to Tom, and as it turns out, knew Amber’s roommate. At a party that night Amber fell asleep (she’d been up early for the race) and woke up holding a newspaper clipping with show times for a movie. “That was Tom's adorable way of asking me out,” Amber says. The two married more than five years later at a historic hotel overlooking the water.