A mum of eight has broken a Guinness World Record for running a marathon while pushing her three youngest children in a buggy.
Photo Credit: Theresa Marie Pitts/Facebook
Theresa Marie Pitts, a 38-year-old mum of eight from Montana, has broken the World Record for running a marathon with a buggy by almost five minutes.
The supermum pushed three of her children, Evan (4), Anders (2) and Avi (5 months) while she ran the Missoula Marathon. The buggy weighed 150 pounds and finished her first ever marathon in a record-breaking time of 4:25:37, reports Runner’s World.
Competing against the Guinness World Record time of 4:30:00, Pitts maintained an average pace of between 4:20 and 4:30, while her children slept on and off.
The inspiring runner only stopped twice – once at mile six to strap two-year-old Anders back in safely after he had wriggled free, and at mile eight to wind five-month-old daughter Avi. The mum-of-eight told the running magazine that she hit the infamous marathon ‘wall’ at around the 20 mile mark:
“To survive the whole thing, I knew I had to keep a very steady pace. I had to dig deep and push very hard. I just went out with the attitude that I’m going to the best I can do and have fun and with that positive outlook, things turned out great. I surprised myself with the result.”
Photo Credit: Theresa Marie Pitts/Facebook
Pitts only started running in 2013 “to pull herself out of a depressive slump and get back on track mentally, physically and spiritually”, but this isn’t her first Guinness World Record – previously breaking the triple stroller half marathon record with a time of 2:01.11.
Theresa Marie’s children range in age from five months to 17 and she says family comes first:
“Because of our large and busy household and because I knew the kids would enjoy being out on runs with me, I didn’t want to leave them behind. I figured touring the countryside and being out in nature together was better than sitting at home and watching YouTube together.
I wanted them there with me when I crossed the finish line. They’ve been with me on this whole journey. I like to train by feel rather than an rigid schedule. If I feel like pushing myself faster and farther, I do. If my children need a rest day, then I don’t push it. The wellbeing of my family always comes first.”
Our new mum-hero has signed her posse up for another half marathon this September and is hoping to complete the race in just two hours.
