ONE of the first questions thrown at a newly-engaged couple is usually about the proposal – where, when and how it unfolded.

And that moment will always be remembered by the friends and family of one Hereford couple after a young man went the extra mile with his imaginative and romantic approach.

Olly Kitching, 29, had swum 2.4-miles, cycled 112 miles and had almost run a full marathon when he got down on one knee.

The fitness instructor could have been forgiven for taking a breather close to the finish line of a bruising Ironman event in Wales but was actually asking the most important question of his life to his girlfriend Danielle Player.

Olly, who met Danielle on a night out in Hereford two years ago, said he had been planning on proposing for around three months.

"I knew it would just be something that would take her completely by surprise," he added.

“I was tired but my heart was starting to go a little bit because I thought ‘I hope she says yes’.

“I had already spoken to my friends and my mum and her mum to tell them to be somewhere near the finishing line so I knew she would be somewhere near there.

“My friends were shouting ‘Olly, Olly’ as I got near.

"When I stopped, I said to her ‘I couldn’t finish this race until you have answered one question’.

"And then I proposed – and she, eventually, said yes.

“The delay was a bit longer than I expected – I was starting to get a bit of cramp.

"But eventually she said yes and I put the ring on her finger.”

He had carried the ring with him while cycling and running, storing it in his tri-suit and regularly checking to make sure it was still there.

Celebrations could not begin straight away unfortunately – Olly, a gym instructor and gym manager at Fownhope-based Wye Leisure, had to get changed and rehydrated before they enjoyed a cup of tea together at their hotel in Tenby later that night.

Danielle, 28, is an English teacher at Hereford Academy and is pregnant with the couple’s twin girls.

Olly added that a few friends had teased him, calling him a "soppy git" but said the majority were impressed – and surprised – by his idea.

However, there is no immediate rush to plan the wedding, with the identical twin girls expected on October 13.

“Danielle is quite close to giving birth so that’s the main priority now," added Olly. "So the wedding plans can go on hold for a little while.”