Running News Daily

Woman sets Guinness World Record for fastest marathon pushing a double stroller

Dubai-based Tifanne Thayme set a new Guinness World Record (pending ratification) at the Adnoc Abu Dhabi Marathon in United Arab Emirates on Saturday, Gulf News reported. Thayme ran to a speedy 3:20:58 finish while pushing her two young children in a double stroller. She beat the previous record of 3:22:05, set in 2017 by the UK’s Jessica Bruce, by over a minute.Thayme, originally from Mississauga, Ont. but now a resident of Dubai, ran to 18th place in the women’s race and was 6th in her age group, despite pushing the extra load of her three-year-old son and one-year-old daughter the entire distance.

She started working with Canadian distance champ Malindi Elmore earlier this year.Thayme shared that she was overwhelmed with emotion post-GWR run, and dedicated her accomplishment to all mothers. “It wasn’t always about running–it was about motherhood also,” she said. “It was truly my way of combining my passion and priority.”Enthusiastic about running from a young age, Thayme ran with her father as a child. She gave up her job as an airline crew member to focus on family life, but her mother reminded her to keep her passion for running by gifting her a running stroller after Thayme’s son was born. “If I had to run, I had to take him also. I started loving it and I saw that he also started loving it,” Thayme said.

Thayme’s husband, Eamon Sallam, is also a runner and was helpful and supportive in juggling schedules to fit in Thayme’s training. Sallam accompanied Thayme on a bicycle during the event and made sure the kids were OK, while also making sure Thayme was following the Guinness guidelines so that her record could be ratified.Thayme shared that her life changed immensely after having children and that she faced new challenges–navigating breastfeeding, postpartum mental health and learning to love her body after childbirth, all while training. 

"You may feel overwhelmed or unseen or lost in this new role,” she said.“As a mother, I want to dedicate my achievement to all moms that are awake in the middle of the night to calm a crying baby or a mother that has no time to brush her teeth or change her clothes with two kids running around.”The only thing missing from Thayme’s achievement was her own mother’s presence, who lives in Canada. Her mother was cheering her on from afar, however. “She was crying, obviously,” said Thayme.The race season in UAE runs from October to April, so Thayme hopes to fit in a few more shorter-distance stroller races (so that she can enjoy them while the kids are still small enough to push), and will then wrap up her season with “some solo races to gauge where I’m at without a big stroller in front of me,” Thayme said.