After years of frustration with the marathon distance and various injuries, Chivakos has found a World Record fell on Sunday, for the fastest marathon while pushing a jogging stroller. But a second unofficial record may have gone down as well.
Dianna Chivakos of Westford, Massachusetts, zipped through the Baystate Marathon with her son, Evan, 3, in a When they finished, the race director awarded Evan a medal, too. Their time—3:10:26—took 7 minutes off the mark The Best Jogging Strollers to Cover More Miles (with her seven-month-old son, who slept for the first 20 miles). Chivakos averaged 7:15 pace along the course.
Guinness does not maintain records for patient three-year-olds. If it did, however, Evan might now hold the title. He sat happily for the entire race, an achievement not many preschoolers could match.
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“I am incredibly lucky,” she said. “He was a champ. I run with him every day. He’s very used to it now—it’s not something that only happens once in awhile.”
Because her husband travels frequently for work, Chivakos does the bulk of her training in the afternoons with Evan, who will nap for part of the ride.
He didn’t sleep at all on Sunday, however. His mother woke him up early, and he rolled over and said to her, “Is it running day, Mama?”
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During the race, Chivakos kept Evan entertained with various snacks and an old iPhone she has loaded with children’s music and apps. Other runners passing by would lean over and high-five Evan and encourage him.
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Chivakos, 34, called Evan the real star of the day Fun Half Marathons. She used to average a stress fracture almost every year, but since she started pushing the BOB and maintaining a two-handed grip on it, she hasn’t been hurt.
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She thinks her best times at shorter race distances—she’s run 17:07 for 5K—would translate into about a 2:50 marathon if she ran alone. But she hasn’t come close to that in her previous attempts. So for now, she’s happy pushing her “little buddy.”
Those days won’t last forever, she knows. Evan is already 32 pounds. Said Chivakos: “Kids seem to keep growing.”
Sarah Lorge Butler is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and good individuals have appeared in Runner’s World Shoes & Gear, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
