Running News Daily

Teacher Dribbles Way to Guinness World Record Marathon Finish

Maria Babineau dribbled a basketball for 26.2 miles, finishing the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in her debut at the distance.

Over the weekend, the Toronto Waterfront Marathon saw its fair share of excitement, with Ethiopia’s Buze Diriba Kejela winning the women’s race with a personal-best time of 2:23:11 for the women’s race, while Elvis Kipchoge Cheboi took the win in the men’s field with a time of 2:09:20.

While no course records were broken, the event did see an incredible 20 Guinness World Record attempts, with everything from the fastest half marathon in a five-person costume to the quickest half marathon by a female dressed as a crustacean. But one impressive attempt was a total slam dunk: elementary school teacher Maria Babineau broke the record for the fastest female running a marathon while dribbling a basketball, finishing the race in 3:57:40.

My students knew I loved basketball, so they encouraged me to break a basketball world record,” Babineau told Runner's World. “The enthusiasm the students shared for attempting the record was amazing. I wanted to show them that anything is possible.”

Video from the race shows Babineau running while dribbling the ball, alternating between her hands as she confidently breezed past her competition. “During the marathon, there were points of the race where my arms were cramping a little,” she said. “The cheering of the spectators and the positive comments from all the runners around me are what helped me get through it.”

The race, surprisingly, was Babineau’s first marathon, completed after about seven weeks of training. “During my training, I ended up having quite a few dogs try to steal the basketball,” Babineau said. “I also had to practice wearing a GoPro on my chest to record the attempt.”

The record attempt, which Guinness is still reviewing, was for more than just cheers from the crowd—Babineau ran in support of a charity she volunteers with, Ronald McDonald House Ottawa. Her goal was to raise $1,000 CAD to help the organization (which provides a home for families with sick children) buy an adjustable basketball net so families can play together. Babineau donated $1 for every kilometer she ran as part of her training, and ultimately, she raised more than her goal, presenting the basketball net and her record-achieving basketball to the house. 

Marinella Satta of Italy set the previous record for the fastest female dribbling a basketball in 4:28:11 during the Giro D’Italia Run in Turin, Italy, back in 2010, finishing 25th out of 38 runners.

For any men who feel inspired by this feat, the current Guinness record for the fastest marathon while dribbling a basketball for men was set in 2021 by Steffan Reimer, who ran a 2:50 marathon while bouncing the ball along the course.