They explain that Ted had to attend a court date that morning for jumping a subway turnstile, and she asks them to wait while she talks with the flight.
The show then flashbacks a few months to when Marshall had just broken his toe, disappointing him as he had been training hard to run the New York City Marathon.
Later, Barney found himself suddenly unable to move his legs, forcing him to ride the subway end-to-end and call Ted to come and help him.
One piece of advice suggested that the runner should apply petroleum jelly to areas affected by chafing, including the nipples.
Robin recalls how she and Ted spotted a line of people camping outside a wedding dress store for a big sale.
Three months later, the guy who got the job was made to relocate to Chicago and Future Ted knows that if he had not found the penny and triggered the whole chain of events then he might have had to leave New York, and never met his wife.