For many people, the ideal date might be at a local restaurant, a coffee shop or maybe the movies. But that wasn’t the case for Annabel Wellington, who had a very different—and far more active—idea in mind when she asked a guy out.
Throughout her twenties, Wellington felt unlucky in love and told Newsweek that she “felt scared” to open herself up to someone else. But, after turning 30 in July 2024, Wellington felt a shift in her mindset and wanted to regain her confidence. Instead of being nervous about dating, she decided to take the leap and send the first message to a guy she matched with on the dating app Hinge.
At the time, Wellington, of Suffolk, in the U.K, had no idea how much that one act would change everything. Although she didn’t ask him out on a simple coffee date, she had a far less conventional date idea.
“I asked if he wanted to do a HYROX with me within the first few minutes of us matching on Hinge,” Wellington, 31, said. “I saw from his pictures he was into fitness, so I thought, why not?”
Within 30 minutes of chatting to each other, Wellington and Dom, both 31, agreed to compete in a doubles HYROX competition. Of course, Wellington was incredibly excited after meeting Dom, and not just because she had a mixed doubles HYROX partner. She knew deep down that she “could be with this guy forever” because they had so much in common.
“Our first few dates consisted of meeting at the gym, often resulting in us having coffee afterward. Most weekends in our first year of dating included fitness events, marathons, CrossFit comps, training together and making fun weekend trips around our love for fitness,” Wellington continued.
After matching in August, she moved in with Dom the following January, and they competed in their HYROX event in April 2025. They traveled to Barcelona, Spain, to compete in the challenge with the plan to “just have fun together.” They certainly did that and managed to finish in 1 hour, 21 minutes.
As it turns out, completing the HYROX wasn’t the couple’s only accomplishment in 2025. Dom planned a surprise trip to Scotland for Wellington’s 31st birthday, and, on July 11, he popped the question. He wanted to make her birthday “extra special,” and he certainly succeeded in making it memorable.
Wellington said: “He booked a surprise trip to Edinburgh, which I thought was for my birthday. The morning of, he insisted we get up early to climb Arthur’s Seat. It wasn’t unusual for him to want to get up early and be active, but I kept saying I wanted a lie in. Reluctantly, I got up, and when we got to the top, he proposed. I couldn’t believe it.”
The couple are planning to get married in September 2026 in a village where they had one of their earliest dates.
Wellington often reflects on how much her life has transformed in recent years, and it all started with that first message she sent on Hinge. She shared a post on Instagram (@annabel_active) showing the initial exchange when she jokingly asked Dom to do a HYROX with her as a second date, only to show how far they have come.
Internet users can’t get enough of the couple’s unusual beginning, leading to more than 2.2 million views and over 74,000 likes on the Instagram Reel at the time of writing. Wellington said she hopes her journey will serve as a reminder to “shoot your shot,” because you never know what might happen.
Wellington said: “I think back to that first message a lot, and I’m grateful for the life we’re building together now. Anyone who has been through a hard time knows how hard it is to rebuild your life, and to have confidence in yourself to do something as simple as send a message. But I was ready and when you know, you know.”
Wellington continued: “I had a good feeling from the start, and the thing about the fitness industry is that you get to meet so many people who know how it feels to push themselves and show up for others. Even if nothing came out of those messages romantically, I knew it was a good opportunity to meet new people and challenge myself.”
Since her story went viral, Wellington has been inundated with messages from people thanking her for the confidence boost and the positive outlook. She also hopes to show others that fitness and gym culture is more than just working out—it is a great way to connect with like-minded people and built a supportive community.
And, of course, completing a HYROX isn’t a necessity for finding love. It just happened to work on this occasion.
“We’re due to get married in September, so who knows if you will see us in the December season for a doubles as a married couple,” Wellington added.
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