They swapped roses for running shoes.
A group of three men from the “Bachelor” series is set to participate in the TCS New York City Marathon this Sunday.
Reality TV favorites Joe Amabile, Joey Graziadei, and Zach Clark drew attention from “Bachelor” fans in Central Park on Thursday while chatting with The Post at the finish line.
Amabile, 39, experiencing his second marathon, quipped that dating on television is even tougher than running the 26.2-mile race.
“It’s not even close,” he remarked.
“It’s amusing because my sister-in-law asks, ‘Are you nervous?’ And I think, ‘We don’t need to discuss that.’ I just need to focus on running.”
This Chicago native, who now lives in Chelsea with his wife, Serena Pitt, whom he met on “Bachelor in Paradise,” credited Clark for inspiring him to join the marathon.
“I’ll be driving down the West Side Highway,” he shared. “Then one day I ran into Zach, and he asked if I was running a race. I responded, ‘What race?’ He said, ‘A marathon.’ I was like, ‘No way. I will never run a marathon.’”
Clark, who won “The Bachelorette” in 2020, relocated to New York in 2012 after overcoming addiction to heroin and crack. Reflecting back, he recalled that he couldn’t even run half a mile during his recovery.
“At that time, I had no clue that running and the New York City Marathon would become such significant parts of my life,” said Clark, originally from Haddonfield, New Jersey.
“That’s why every year we conclude the race, treating it like a gift.”
Now 41, Clark is participating in his 11th New York City Marathon—17th overall—running to support the nonprofit he established, Release Recover, which has 115 runners aiming to raise $1 million for behavioral health care.
Joey Graziadei, a Pennsylvania native who appeared on “The Bachelor” last year, is gearing up for his first marathon.
The former tennis coach came up with the idea after making a bucket list of 30 things to achieve before turning 30.
“One item was to run a half marathon, thinking it would be a challenge,” he explained.
Graziadei, 30, who is engaged to Kelsey Anderson, whom he met during the series, also won last year’s “Dancing with the Stars.” However, he humorously noted that the dancing skills did little to help with marathon training.
“No, I doubt anything dance-related would prepare you for this,” he said.
When asked about his cheer squad, Clark, rumored to be dating former “Bachelorette” Caitlin Bristowe, didn’t confirm her attendance but mentioned, “the whole city” would support him.
“This day brings everyone together in the city,” he added.
