A loved-up runner proposed to his stunned longtime girlfriend just before they both completed a marathon together in personal best times.

Nervous Niall West, 27, ran 26 miles with the engagement ring in his shorts before getting down on one knee and popping the question to Beth Miller, 28.

And the newly betrothed couple then jogged the final few yards of the race arm in arm before crossing the finish line in a time of 4 hours and 38 minutes.

Niall, who decided to ask Beth to marry him in December last year, said his heart was beating “a million miles an hour” during the final mile of the Manchester Marathon.

But when he spotted his friends and family, he feigned an injury and dragged Beth over to them before dropping down to the ground and presenting her with a ring.

He said: “In that last mile everything was hurting. I just kept on sort of crying as I was envisaging what was coming.

“My heart was beating at a million miles an hour. I then saw my mum and my dad and friends and dragged Beth over. The rest was history.

“I knew we were ahead of time and Beth was going to beat her personal best anyway. It was my first marathon, so I was just happy to finish.”

Stunned Beth said she had “absolutely no idea” Niall was about to present her with an engagement ring and said the proposal was something she would “never forget”.

She said: “It completely threw me off. His sister is getting married next month, and he had told me, ‘Just to manage expectations, I’m not going to do it this year.’

“I’d seen his friends and family, and I thought maybe his ankle was hurting. I thought: ‘What are you doing? We’re just about to cross the finish line?

“I didn’t know if I was going to have a heart attack or pass out. But it’s just been amazing. It’s something I’ll never forget. It was such a special time.”

Niall from Bolton, Gtr Manchester, who works in Intellectual property law, said he had decided to pop the question after chatting to his dad late last year.

He then spent months worrying about how the big day would go and even purchased special shorts the day before the race so his ring would be safe.

He said: “It’s probably been the most nerve-wracking few months of my life.

“I decided I was going to pop the quest back in December. I was away with my dad and we were discussing the future and life. And I said ‘I’m ready, I’m going to do it.’

“Beth had no annual leave left, so I thought ‘I can’t whisk her away.’ And I didn’t think she’d be happy if I did it on the couch watching Coronation Street.

“I knew we were running the marathon together, and I thought ‘Wow, what a great idea.’

“It’s completely out of my comfort zone. I don’t like large crowds or attention or a lot of people looking at me. But I knew Beth would be completely surprised and love it.

He added: “I bought new shorts just so I had some with a zip pocket on the front. I got such bad back just because I was holding my pocket all the way around.”