Runner takes selfies with hot guys during NYC Half-Marathon

For many new runners, 13.1 miles can be a tedious task. Boredom often sets in around miles six or seven and for the rest of the race, runners do their best to keep themselves from calculating their distance to the finish line.

To combat boredom, 24-year-old Kelly Roberts of Brooklyn entertained herself by taking selfies with hot guys and posting them to her Instagram account while she ran the NYC Half-Marathon on March 16th.

"I was standing in my corral right before the race started and I noticed there was a cute guy behind me and thought 'I should find one every mile,'" recalled Roberts.

Roberts quickly came up with the hashtag #hottguysofthenychalf and proceeded to document her race experience — one hot guy, one mile at a time. The resulting 13 selfies, capturing Roberts alongside sweaty men of all types mid-stride, have been making the rounds on the Internet.

Roberts started running a year and a half ago, dabbling in 10K races and a few half-marathons. Last week's NYC Five-Borough Series Half was her first race of the 2014 season.

"It's been a rough winter so I didn't train well at all and I knew I needed some kind of motivation," said Roberts. "By the time I found the second guy, I realized it totally took my mind off the race."

How did Roberts pick her subjects?

"If they passed me and looked cute from the side, I'd run up to catch them — or if I saw a cute girl, I figured she was probably with a cute guy so I would sprint up to them," Roberts explained. "I stayed with some guys for a while to try and get a good picture so I'm sure those guys knew I was up to something."

Between the kiss faces, runner commentary and hashtagging, you would think the experience might have slowed Roberts down. Instead, chasing after hot guys every mile helped her nearly match her personal best.

"It was actually my second fastest race; my fastest was only about 20 seconds quicker. I think doing all those intervals made my time that much faster," Roberts joked.

So can you expect the selfie bandit to strike again at other races? Roberts says definitely.

"I'm registered for the Brooklyn Half [on May 17th] so I'm sure you'll see something come out of that, or maybe even sooner," said Roberts. "I might change it up next time though. I want to keep doing it but I also want to keep it fresh and funny."

Ladies, I think I see a #hottguysofbroadstreetrun in our future...

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