Exciting news! I’ve just found out that my daughter and I are the OFFICIAL holders of the Guinness World Record for “fastest mile pushing a pram (female)”. Yippee!!!
Full details below…
What: Fastest mile pushing a pram (female)
When: Saturday 25th June 2022 at about 6pm
Where: Stade Stéphane Diagana, Blagnac, near Toulouse in SW France
Who: Me, Sally Onn (aged 39) and my youngest daughter who was four-and-a-half at the time
Target: We had to beat 6 mins 8.53 seconds, the previous mark set by Katherine Timlin (USA) in February 2022
Result: the full mile distance (1609m) on the athletics track in 5 mins 57.95 seconds, pushing my daughter in the running buggy. My goal was sub-6 and it took everything I had. It was an absolutely flat-out, dry-wretching-at-the-end, 100% effort. I was completely over the moon when I saw the result!
My kit: Our trusty Thule Chariot Cross, which we also used to break our first Guinness World Record (for “fastest 10km pushing a pram” back in October 2020); my speedy Altra Escalante running shoes (no carbon plate!) and my Blagnac club vest of course.
Why: although our first Guinness World Record has since been broken (more than once in fact), it remains one of my most precious motherhood experiences. I really wanted to re-live that excitement and to give my daughter a chance to remember it properly this time (being a bit older). Mile races are a rarity in France, so I thought it would be fun to try something a bit different. Plus, running with my daughter is a really important part of my life and something that brings me joy. If I could help to inspire other mothers to take up (or return to) running after giving birth then that would make all the sweat and tears worthwhile!
Afterwards: As it happens, I was not quite finished with my sporting endeavours for the day, as that evening I was back on the very same athletics track to run the women’s 5,000m – without the buggy this time. My legs felt surprisingly fresh and I finished first female in 19:05, thus qualifying directly for the Championnat de France de 5km (French national 5km championship), which I went on to race in October 2022. What a crazy day!
A final thought: I know this record will not stand for long. Other, faster mothers, with light-weight racing strollers and tiny babies will no doubt come along and quickly erase our mark from the history books (and good for them!). However, for me, running a sub-6 minute mile pushing 30kg / 66lbs (that’s 13kg / 29lbs of pram and 17kg / 37lbs of child) will always be something I am extremely proud of. My daughter is getting quite big for the buggy now, so I am not sure how much longer we’ll continue to run together. Racing this perfect, exciting event together, at an age where she’s old enough to remember it and in our own home town surrounded by family and friends, is something I will always treasure.
