“We were in relationships where we found ourselves morphing to become the person that the other person wanted,” Shawn explained. “And it got exhausting. So we just cut straight through it. We were like, we’re going to give it our best shot and if either of us don’t vibe to it, that’s fine.”

Spoiler alert: The vibes were good.

Four months after the impromptu marathon date, Shawn was relocating to Tennessee, where the married pair—celebrating their 10th anniversary April 16—now live with daughter Drew, 6, and sons Jett, 4, and Bear, 2.

Andrew said he was drawn to her thoughtfulness, her humble nature and the smile that “gets me every time.” For Shawn, it was the fact that she could let her ponytail down, so to speak.

“I was such a perfectionist people-pleaser, I felt like I couldn’t be myself out in the world,” she recalled. “And Andrew was so full of life and couldn’t care less and I felt like I could truly be myself around him.”

Continued the athlete, “He made me feel like I could be more confident and I loved that. And so many things.”