Jogging Stroller Records That Will Blow Your Mind

As any committed runner who also happens to be a new mom (or dad!) will tell you, a jogging stroller can be a lifesaver. Not only does it simplify the logistics of getting back into running post-partum, but it can also act as a great way to spend some quality time with your new bundle of joy.

And while, for most new running parents, simply getting out of the house and going for a run is enough, others take the joys of stroller running to the next level. Yes, there’s a breed of super runners (with extremely patient kids!) who actually chase jogging stroller world records for fun. So if you think that your solo sub-3 marathon PB is da bomb, prepare to be both humbled and amazed.

Two’s company

But let’s start small. While most runners can only dream of clocking a 32-minute 10K, Dougal Thorburn has done so with his daughter, Audrey, and their single jogging stroller in tow. The duo clocked an incredible 32:26 at the 10K event of the Dunedin New Balance Hill Free Half Marathon in New Zealand in October 2012. A record that many an aspiring stroller running super dad has been chasing ever since.

Equally impressive is Matt Lemon’s current single stroller half marathon world record. Matt and his 20-month old daughter, Maggie, completed the Ohio River Road Runner’s Club Half Marathon in a speedy 1:10:42 in 2017.

Next in line, is the world record for males for the fastest marathon with a single stroller. This one belongs to Calum Neff and his daughter, Allessandra, who ran an impressive 2:31:22 at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in Canada in 2016.

But what about the moms, you ask? Well, they’re certainly not far behind:

• Lindsay James and her son, Archie, are the current record holders as the fastest female half-marathon with a single stroller. This mom-and-son team recorded a blazing 1:27:34 in Derby in the UK in memory of Lindsay’s late mom in 2016.
• Dianna Chivakos and her 3-year-old son, Evan, completed the 2017 Baystate Marathon in 3:10:26, slashing a whole 7 minutes off the previous record. And even though pushing a stroller containing a child for 26.2 miles is an incredible feat, Chivakos is quick to give all the credit to her son. “He was a champ,” she says.

Three’s a crowd…?

And here’s where it gets interesting. Because what is a record-chasing stroller running parent to do when they’ve got not one, but two little ones in their care? Easy. They chase world records with both children in tow.

In October 2017, Travis Boyd and his two sons, Miles and Sam, clocked an incredible 1:17:59 at the Snohomish River Run Half Marathon in Washington. Equally impressive, though, is the female counterpart of this record. It is currently held by Julie Dinardo and two of her three kids, Lenny and Audrey. Team Dinardo clocked a mind-numbing 1:37:04 over the half marathon distance in Rhode Island in May 2018.

In terms of double stroller marathon records, Jessica Bruce and her squad currently hold the female record of 3:22:05. She clocked this time at the 2017 Abbington Marathon with her son, Daniel, and daughter, Emilia. And how did their race go? “Hills are particularly difficult, downs are a bit easier and we tend to go faster there but flats and any kind of incline really hurt,” said Bruce after the event. And for Daniel and Emilia, Bruce says that they had a great time chasing the record. “It’s a long time in the seat [for the children] but there’s so much going on and they absolutely love it.”

The more, the merrier

But, as inspiring as the single- and double stroller running records may be, that’s still not where it ends. Because if you can run with two children in a stroller, then surely you can fit in three as well, right? You bet.

Supermom, Ashlee Eskelsen showed the running fraternity what can be done when she covered the half-marathon distance with her three children, aged 4, 2 and 2 months, in a triple stroller in 1:47:32 in March 2018.

And top honors have to go to Ann Marie Codie and her triplets, who hold the current world record for the fastest marathon with a triple stroller. Clocked in March 2018, Ann Marie and her crew recorded a 4:06:33 for the marathon distance at the Modesto Marathon in California. The Codies used their record attempt to raise both awareness and funds for ill and premature infants in neonatal ICUs.

So you think that your marathon is hard…?

So, next time you’re struggling through Mile 22 of a marathon, just think about the mom who might be covering the same distance with a 150-pound triple stroller and three squabbling siblings in tow. And then imagine how, horror of horrors, she might be just about to overtake you. It’s sure to breathe a sudden burst of renewed energy into your weary bones!

Featured image credit: Karien Potgieter.