With this Mud, I Thee Wed

June 7, 2014 marked the most important day so far in the lives of Casey and Jessica Kahsen, who said their “I Do’s” in front of their closest friends and family… and a huge crowd of Savage Racers waiting in the corral to start their race.

What did Jessica think of having her fairytale wedding at an event like this? “I absolutely loved it,” she said. “We joke with everyone that it was just a practice run, and we’re going to do it again next year.” Jessica expressed that part of her missed having a more traditional wedding complete with her dream dress, but at the end of the day, “It was just about marrying HIM. It was totally worth it.”

Casey and Jessica were introduced by a friend in a gym and working out is the glue that binds them together. Their very first vacation as a couple included a road race, and their everyday lives are based on exercise and eating healthy. They feel like they built their relationship on the foundation of fitness, and making their healthy lifestyle a priority is very important to them. After they got engaged and started wedding planning, they realized that they really wanted to have their wedding in some type of gym or race setting.

How, then, did they settle on Savage Race as the location for their wedding? The date of their wedding, June 7th, is extremely significant to Jessica because her beloved father passed away on that date a few years ago. She wanted to honor her father and turn a day of grief in her life and in the lives of her family into a day of joy and celebration. June 7th, 2014 also marked exactly 17 months since she and Casey began dating.

After choosing the wedding date first, Jessica searched online for any event in their area taking place on that date. She discovered Savage Race and knew she found the perfect venue. After reaching out to Alex Brown, Event Operations Manager at Savage Race, and talking through the details, it was settled. (Well, we all know that wedding planning isn’t that easy, right? But Alex became their impromptu “wedding planner” and Jessica believes he’s the best wedding planner she could have ever asked for!)

Savage wedding planner extraordinaire Alex remembers, “When Jessica and Casey first contacted us, they wanted to have their wedding at the finish line after all the participants had finished the race. My first thought was, ‘How do I convince them to have the ceremony at the start line in front of everybody?’ The whole crew wanted them to feel special on their special day. Luckily, they agreed!”

Casey’s father, Deacon Kenneth Kahsen, put together a beautiful and memorable ceremony and performed it in the 15-minutes between waves at the start line. As soon as one wave took off, the wedding party moved forward and a makeshift aisle of spectators opened up for Jessica. She wore her race clothes and a wedding veil to walk down the aisle.

As Mr. Kahsen performed the heartfelt ceremony, he noticed tears of joy in the crowd as other racers, strangers to Casey and Jessica, watched them commit their lives to one another. It was a far bigger hit than anyone had expected, and all along the course they received words of encouragement and congratulations. “To see people care the way they did was phenomenal,” remembers Jessica. “It was so motivational the whole race.”

Their friends and family also hiked the course in order to see their group of five, including their friend who first introduced them at the gym, at different spots along the way. Casey’s sister Krista took professional wedding photos during the event, and our race emcee welcomed them across the finish line with special congratulations and words of encouragement.

Having trained hard for the race, Casey and Jessica really enjoyed the event and our world-class obstacles. The only one that gave Jessica any trouble was Sawtooth as she struggled to make the vertical ascent halfway through the obstacle. Casey turned around to try and help her though and their teamwork and love for one another was evident by the way that they supported each other through this first “obstacle” in their marriage.

The Kahsens have since moved to Virginia and plan to attend the Mid-Atlantic Spring 2015 race on May 2nd, celebrating just shy of their one-year anniversary with their second Savage Race together. Mr. Kahsen, officiate of their wedding, also got bit by the race bug and looks forward to participating in a future Savage Race. The Kahsen’s commitment to a healthy lifestyle is infectious and an inspiration to anyone who meets them.

The Savage Race Ohio 2014 wedding was certainly one of the most memorable events we’ve been apart of at one of our races. It was a joy to make the Kahsen’s dream wedding a reality and we’re honored that they chose our event to commemorate their big day!

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If YOU or anyone you know has an inspiring story to share with the Savage Race community, please send an email to carrie@savagerace.com. We’d love to hear from you!

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