The Run Thru Wedding Chapel is an “only in Vegas” experience and we are pleased to welcome FTD.com as its sponsor.

When planning the first Marathon course in 2005 to include the electrifying neon corridor of the world-famous Las Vegas Strip, we came upon A Special Memory Wedding Chapel near mile 5 which prompted the idea for the Run Thru Wedding Chapel. Joshua Gust, the owner of A Special Memory, said “yes” to the idea which has now become a phenomenon for participants and media alike.

Not only did more than fifty couples get married or renew their vows in the first two years, the Run Thru Wedding Chapel has been featured in Runners World, Modern Bride, Time Magazine and Sports Illustrated, among many media outlets.

The ceremony will be performed by a Running Reverend with more than 50 Elvis runners and countless friends and family members as witnesses. It will be televised live during the Marathon broadcast on KLAS TV.

We are pleased to note that Reverend Sarah Shirley has agreed to offer free pre-marital counseling for all couples getting married at the Run Thru Wedding Chapel. She is also training to run her first Marathon.

But first and foremost, it is about the couples. Kimberly Engel and Jason Thomas, who got married at the 2006 Run Thru Wedding Chapel with more than 30 friends and families in their running wedding party, plan to return yearly to renew their vows. Journalists Christine Smith and her fiancé Brian Ludwig will get married at this year’s race and are blogging about the experience. Married during the first Run Thru Wedding in 2005, Bellinda & Tom Erikson, our legacy wedding couple, plan to renew their vows each year until they can no longer run.

In 2007 we begin a new tradition by offering you an online up-close-and-personal look at the couples who plan to get married or renew their vows at the Run Thru Wedding Chapel.