Not too many toddlers can claim to be world record holders, but 19-month-old Blair Puttkammer recently helped her mother Alyssa, 33, break the record for the fastest women's marathon pushing a stroller.
The Utah duo’s time of 3:02:54 in the Pacific Northwest Marathon held in Oregon on Sept. 16 shattered the previous world record of 3:10:26.
According to Puttkammer, she and Blair were 10 seconds under their goal pace after the first two miles, but at that point, Blair wasn't having it.
"Blair started crying and continued to cry inconsolably for seven miles which was torture for me. She finally drifted off to sleep for three miles, and was happy and calm the rest of the race, thank goodness,” said Puttkammer.
“When we finally rounded the last turn and sprinted to the finish, everyone was cheering. It didn't really sink in that I had broken the record."
Puttkammer is a single mother, and said she was motivated by coaching great John Wooden's motto: "Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."
She said being a single parent put barriers into training for the race, but she kept asking herself what she could do, and hopes that mindset carries her forward.
Alyssa added she's proud of Blair for putting up with the miles of training and the rigors of the race.
She also hopes that other parents are now motivated to run with their children, and said, "I'd be thrilled to see my record broken soon."
This story was originally published by Laura Polacheck at Scripps News Salt Lake City.
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