Matt James was deep into the TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 1, when a couple on the sidelines caught his attention. Their sign said“Do Our Gender Reveal!”and they were holding three black balloons covered in question marks. The former Bachelor didn’t keep running. He stopped, took the pin they handed him, and popped all three balloons. Pink confetti burst out, the couple is having a girl, and James jumped around shouting congratulations before getting right back into the race and eventually finishing.
The moment was caught on video and posted to Instagram, where it blew up fast. Bachelor Nation’s Tyler Cameron summed it up perfectly in the comments:“Bros king of side quests.”James has kept busy since his historic season 25 run as the franchise’s first Black lead, including broadcasting work with ESPN Boston, but this might be his most universally beloved moment yet.
It’s the kind of viral clip that doesn’t need any drama attached. A famous stranger paused his own huge day to make someone else’s bigger, then went back to finishing what he started. Would you stop in the middle of a marathon for a stranger’s gender reveal, or is your finish time too precious to give up?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.