Tennessee mom Ashlee Eskelsen ran the Boston Marathon 14 weeks pregnant last year. This year, she wanted a new challenge.
Eskelsen, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, set a world record on Saturday for finishing a half-marathon pushing a triple stroller with her three sons — her youngest just 4 and a half months old.
“Those last few miles, they were hard,” Eskelsen told Alabamanews.net. “I had to stay strong mentally, and my motto is just for moms everywhere and I definitely was praying, like I said out there. So, I was hoping some angels would could help me push it because no one else was allowed to touch the stroller.”
Eskelsen finished the 13.1-mile race at the 2018 Montgomery Half Marathon and 5K in 1:47:29, a pace of about 8:20 per mile. Her children and the stroller, certified by USA Track and Field, weighed about 150 pounds combined. The previous record was set by Ann Marie Cody, who finished the Fresno half-marathon in November 2017 in 1:47:59 pushing triplets.
In a video interview with Marathon Runs, Eskelsen said she put over 1,000 miles on her double stroller and will now be adding many more to the triple stroller. When asked why she wanted to go for the record, she said, “I wanted to inspire people to do something great.”
Guinness World Records will still have to confirm the race times before officially updating the record, according to Alabamanews.net.