An Edmonton distance runner wants to set a Guinness world record on Sunday for running the fastest half-marathon while pushing her 14-month-old twin girls in a stroller.
Natalie Shanahan, 35, is competing in the half-marathon in this weekend’s Edmonton Marathon events.
Shanahan wants to run 21.1 kilometres in 1 hour and 30 minutes while pushing her daughters Aoife and Bethany in a running stroller.
She recently set a time of 1:34 so she thinks beating the current Guinness record of 1:31:45 is attainable.
“I’m going to bawl if I set the record,” she said following a news conference about the Edmonton Marathon Thursday.
Shanahan has been training to compete with Team Canada in the world 24-hour run world championship in France this October.
She hopes her Guinness world record quest will help drum up sponsorships to help with the costs of travelling to France.
Shanahan said she resumed running about nine weeks after having her girls. She said using the stroller was difficult at first, but it’s now become routine.
“The first little bit is chat with the girls until they fall asleep and then its nap time and life is beautiful,” she said.
If the girls happen to start crying, Shanahan jokes that just makes her run faster so she can get back home.
“Something is obviously up. They’re either hungry, they’ve got a dirty diaper so let’s just get it done,” she said.
“Most of the time it’s their happy time. They’re chatting with me, giggling, playing with each other, they’ll hold hands. And then they nap.”
This weekend’s event is the 28th Edmonton Marathon. Racers will include world-class Canadian athletes and 2020 Tokyo Olympics hopefuls, organizers said Thursday.
The marathon, half marathon, 10K and 5K events are taking place Sunday morning.
Races start at the Edmonton Conference Centre. Roads will be closed along the route.