A New York City Marathon finisher received an unexpected keepsake on Sunday when Ariana Grande and boyfriend Ricky Alvarez paused their sideline cheering to write her a personal note of encouragement. The couple was supporting runners along the course when influencer Ella Schweiger asked them to compose a message for a stranger who had just completed the 26.2-mile race.
Grande agreed without hesitation, taking a pen and writing "You did it!" surrounded by hearts. She signed the note "Ari + Ricky." Schweiger recorded the exchange and posted the video on Instagram, documenting both the request and the moment she handed the message to the runner, identified as Ellie, who was visibly stunned upon learning who had written it.
In a twist that made the gesture especially fitting, Ellie said she had been listening to Grande's music while running the race. One of the singer's songs, she explained, carried her through a particularly difficult stretch near mile 24.
The note was part of Schweiger's project, "Ella's Envelope," which gathers encouraging words from strangers and passes them along to marathon participants. The initiative reflects a broader tradition of spectator support at the New York City Marathon, where crowds line the five boroughs to cheer on tens of thousands of runners.
Grande and Alvarez, who rekindled their relationship earlier this year after nearly a decade apart following their first breakup, confirmed their renewed romance on Instagram in August. Their appearance at the marathon marks another public outing for the couple.
For local runners and spectators, the encounter underscores the outsized role that chance meetings and small gestures can play in the marathon experience. The race covers 26.2 miles, but as Sunday demonstrated, a few handwritten words can resonate well beyond the finish line.