Famous Running Mom and Her 9-Month-Old Smash Stroller Half Marathon Record

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At the Chicago Rock ’n’ Roll Half Marathon on Sunday, Julia Webb covered a half marathon while pushing Paula, her 9-month-old daughter, in a jogging stroller, in 1:22:57. 

That’s roughly 6:20 per mile pace, and it shatters the current Guinness world record of 1:27:34 set by a British woman last month, according to Competitor.com.

Webb, 33, is the wife of Alan Webb, who holds the American record for the mile. The record, 3:46.91, has stood since 2007. 

Julia Webb had fallen short of her goal of qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. “I didn’t want to end the season on a bad note,” she said after the half marathon. “I thought, ‘I got to go after some sort of record.’” She figured Chicago might be her last chance. Paula, Webb said, “is going to be getting bigger. This might be my last kid, so why not?”

This is not Webb’s first experience with stroller records. In 2014, she ran 38:15 for 10K while pushing a baby jogger. In that race, however, her older daughter, Joanie, then 2 years old, was out of town, so Webb borrowed a lighter baby, Ruby Schares, 7 months, for the run.

After Sunday’s race, a witness tweeted about the achievement, and showed off a smiling Paula in a pair of baby Nike Frees. 

In February in Houston, a dad and his 11-month-old daughter ran 1:11:27 for a half marathon to set the men’s Guinness record.

Peter Gambaccini contributed to this report.  

Sarah Lorge Butler

Sarah Lorge Butler is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World since 2005. She is the author of two popular fitness books, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!