t's a picture-perfect end to the hunt for the mystery photographer who snapped a photo of a runner proposing to his girlfriend at the New York City Marathon Sunday.
And it's a beauty — of Joe Duarte on bended knee at the corner of 77th Street and First Avenue asking Katie Mascenik to be his wife.
"It's so sentimental," the photographer, Val Ferrara, 33, told TODAY.com. "You can even see the ring. It's beautiful."
Duarte, 44, and Mascenik, 24, who met at the gym and fell in love running together, had the perfect wedding proposal, but not the perfect photo.
Their photo of the moment, hastily taken by a friend, was obscured by Ferrara's hands and phone.
Amid all the excitement, all Mascenik remembered was "a girl in blue spandex pants" beside her who captured the moment and then vanished.
So the couple began a search through social media to find her identity, as Today.com reported Wednesday.
The call from Ferrara came Wednesday night. Turns out, she had taken seven photos.
"When she called, I was excited because I might finally get my picture [but also] nervous because what if she deleted it or didn't have the perfect shot," said Mascenik.
"I am so grateful for everyone's help finding the picture —it's beautiful."
She says she would have shared the photo on the spot, but Mascenik "ran off."
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