Featured photograph: Ariana Grande in Las Vegas in April 2016. Archival photograph, not her 2026 marathon appearance. Photo: Pure DOPE Magazine. CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
A runner named Ellie had listened to Ariana Grande near mile 24 of the New York City Marathon. After finishing, she reached into a large envelope and chose a message from a stranger.
It was signed by Grande.
The coincidence appeared in a video shared by Ella Schweiger, whose Ella's Envelope project collects encouraging notes and passes them to other people.
A few words from the sidelines
Grande and Ricky Álvarez were watching the November 1, 2026, race when Schweiger approached them.
As Upworthy described the video, Schweiger asked them to write a message for a runner they did not know.
Grande wrote a short congratulations, added three hearts and signed the card with both their names. Schweiger placed it among the other notes she was collecting.
The singer was participating in a project built around messages that could reach someone unexpected. She was not writing to a chosen fan whose story she already knew.
Photo: GhostDust. CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Ellie drew a familiar name
After the race, Schweiger offered Ellie a note. The runner read it before learning who had written it.
Then came the reveal. Ellie said she had been listening to Grande's song “The Way” during a difficult stretch near mile 24.
That was her account of what helped her keep going. The moment connected a private listening choice during the race with a message she happened to receive afterward.
The video also showed Ellie pointing to the support of friends and family. Their presence, and the energy along the course, were part of what made the day meaningful to her.
Photo: www.elbpresse.de. CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
A small gesture reached someone at the right time
E! News also reported the note-writing encounter, describing Schweiger's project and the runner's selection.
CFJC's account likewise placed Grande and Álvarez among the Manhattan spectators.
The story comes through Schweiger's edited public video and reporting about it. Its appeal rests on the connection the runner described, rather than proof of an extraordinary cause behind the coincidence.
Ellie had already completed the race. A message written for someone unknown gave her one more memory to take away from the finish.