Double stroller achievement

With help from friends, Lisa Chase sets a unique speed standard

“Running is so boring.”

How many times have you heard some version of this, almost exclusively from non-runners who don’t “get” it?

Some other uninformed questions/comments: “What do you THINK about?” “Just thinking about DRIVING that far makes me tired!” “All that POUNDING can’t be good for you!” “It’s unhealthy!” “Have you SEEN what people look like after marathons?’’

Yeah well. Readers of this Substack, you know better, don’t you?

One of the wonderful things about our sport is that we can (and we do!) create new, unique challenges. Runners were great at this during the pandemic. Virtual runs, fastest-known-times, vertical challenges … all them started or flourished during those otherwise baleful months and years.

Other challenges just happen, blossoming from simple ideas. And, that’s the subject of today’s post: A unique challenge that will eventually, hopefully, most likely, become part of the lore of the Guinness Book of Records.

Note of caution and clarity: This record-breaking run that you will be reading about momentarily is still pending certification from Guinness.

No matter the fine-print, disclaimer material, Lisa Chase’s awesome idea – and, later, accomplishment -- still makes for a very, very cool story, and I’m grateful for her allowing me to share it with you.

OK. As usual, I’ve prattled on with a long-winded introduction. Back in my newspaper days, such shenanigans wouldn’t get past a good editor!

So, what’s the story? Lisa Chase set a (yes, pending) world record for fastest mile time while pushing a double stroller – yes, with her two children in it! Lisa accomplished this last month at the University at Albany track, with certified, official timing, in 5 minutes, 48.84 seconds – and with a lot of support and encouragement from her Albany Running Exchange teammates, friends and coach Dick Vincent.

“The idea started in December,’’ Dick Vincent wrote in a Facebook post, “and Lisa and I have been working towards this for six months. She needed to accomplish this pronto as her two children, Addie and Will, are growing too big for the stroller. The weight of the stroller with kids: 130 pounds!!! Josh Merlis and the A.R.E. family assisted with timing, pacing, videos, photos, organizing, documentation and adhering to Guinness’ 32 pages of rule and regulations. Congratulations to Lisa, her two kids and her supportive husband Lance on this accomplishment!”

My connection with Lisa goes back about 20 years. She was a member of the Class of 2008 at Marist College, where she was an elite level rower … and, yes, a great runner too! One of the finest pure athletes we’ve ever encountered in all our years at Marist (obviously a biased opinion, but I stand by it!), Lisa was able to excel at both sports, a grueling two-sport athlete!

Anyway, rather than continuing with my long-winded writing, I’ll let Lisa tell her story in her own words, in the form of an email interview from last week.

Where did you get the idea for attempting the stroller record?

As I increased my mileage over the past year and a half, I had been running more and more with the kids in the stroller.  We did a hilly 5k last Thanksgiving and I averaged just over 7 minutes per mile.  That got me wondering how fast I could run with them in a single, non-hilly mile.  That then led me to wonder what the world record was.  I had read some articles about other stroller running records, and saw that just a year ago, the single stroller female mile record was 5:57.  It was lowered last summer to 5:24 (and just six weeks ago lowered further to a sizzling 5:11!).  However, there was NO double stroller mile record, which I found very surprising, but also very enticing.  Why not try to set it before we retire the double stroller? Even if we only held the record for a short time, I thought that would be a really neat thing to do with my kids, Addie and Will.  

How often do you run with the double jogger and how difficult is it?

I tried to do at least one run a week pushing the kids, varying between shorter, easy runs; hard workouts; and longer (up to 7ish miles … the kids couldn’t handle much more than that) runs.  Dick Vincent helped coach me the last five months and with Josh Merlis of the timing company ARE Event Productions, we targeted the second half of May for the mile attempt.  As we got closer, Dick assigned some great workouts on the track pushing the kids that really helped get me ready.  While the track takes away any elevation challenges, navigating the curves with a wide, heavy stroller in front of me takes some getting used to.  Additionally, as you know, there’s no avoiding the wind on a track and a slight wind becomes amplified while a strong headwind can make it feel like you’re pushing a car!

How old are your two children and how much do they weigh (individual and combined)?

Addie is six and has always been a solid kid.  She is about 55 pounds.  Will is four and weighs close to 40 pounds.  The stroller advertises a max of 100 pounds so as you can see, we are pretty much there!  When you add the stroller weight, I’m pushing about 130 pounds, which is a little more than what I weigh. 

Do they LIKE the ride?

Haha, good question. They can both ride 2-wheel bicycles now and would usually rather be doing that, but they have been pretty good sports about getting out regularly in the stroller.  Well-timed snacks have been very helpful, and so have audiobooks (recent favorites include Charlotte’s Web and James and the Giant Peach).  Destination runs (like running to the playground) are also well received.  We have one final race planned together, the Route 50 Mile in Burnt Hills: a slight downhill one-mile event on where everyone receives free ice cream at the finish, so they are looking forward to that one. (Editor’s note: At the time of this interview, this race was in the future; well, it happened the other night and Lisa ran 5:29.6!)

Tell me about the record effort on the track! The video of it was really exciting to watch!

My goal all along was to go under 6 minutes.  Theoretically, I could submit any time as long as it was under 12:00 (the minimum standard put out by Guinness) but I wanted it to be decently competitive and felt that 5:-- was what I needed to shoot for.  Honestly, as I did more track workouts with the stroller, I wondered if sub 6 was even possible for me.  It was often challenging to run just a 400 at that pace with them, especially if there was any wind.  I did a time trial at the end of April and pushed them to a 6:05 mile, which renewed my confidence a great deal.  I felt with an additional month of training, plus some supporters cheering for me, I could dip under 6.

I had reached out to Guinness at that time to see if pacers were allowed, and finally heard back from them just a few days before my scheduled mile on May 28 (which had already been rescheduled from one week earlier, when it was 90 degrees and Will wasn’t feeling well).  With the green light to have others setting the pace, I asked Pete Rowell from the ARE men’s team who had already volunteered, and he recruited two others  - including Drew Burns, fellow Marist alum! I always like to start conservatively, and indicated that I really wanted the first half to be just under 6 minute pace, with the hope to pick it up a bit after that.  

It literally started raining the moment the race started, although I didn’t notice until halfway through the second lap.  The guys took me through the first quarter in 89, which was perfect.  The wind and rain picked up in the second lap and I heard Will say at the 600-meter mark, “Mommy, my socks are getting all wet!” as we got pelted in the face with rain (I had made the kids remove their shoes before we started to save a little weight).  I did not respond to him and thankfully he didn’t say anything further. 

We came through the half in 2:59 and I felt strong, which was exactly as I had hoped.  There was an incredible turnout of local folks (Dick had put the word out) who had come to cheer for me prior to the official Tuesday night track practice for the Albany Running Exchange, and as the rain and wind died down in the second half, we picked up the pace. The third quarter was run in about 87 and I gave it everything I had that last lap, finishing with an 82, for a full-mile time of 5:48.84.  

Watching one of the videos later on, I could hear my mom telling a family friend as I was on the last lap that I tend to have a good kick.  I’m glad I was able to deliver that again for this momentous occasion. I was truly thrilled to go so far under my goal, as well as humbled by all the folks who came out to support me.  As I tried to catch my breath in the moments after the finish, the kids were pretty unfazed by it all, simply asking me when they could have the lollipops I promised them.  

In general, how has your training been going and how do you balance it with work/family schedule? What IS your work/family schedule and when do you run?

Training has been going better than I ever expected!  It's definitely a balancing act, and I couldn't do it without the support of my husband Lance.  In 2024 so far, I've averaged about 22 miles a week for running (lowest week was 9; highest week was 31) and an additional 7ish miles of rowing per week (mostly on the ERG, but I will soon be getting on the water a lot more!).  Every week is different and flexibility is key, but most weeks include five workouts: generally two on weekdays before work (often with a great group of fellow mom runners I’ve gotten to know since moving to Delmar), one after work (often a track Tuesday workout with Dick), and a workout on both Saturday and Sunday.  I also try to get in 1-2 lifts per week after the kids go to bed.  It's helped that I've had at least one run per week with the kids in the stroller, and feel less guilty about taking time away from them.  I'm excited for the school year to be ending to take work off my plate for a while.

How pleased were you with the Run for Women 5k? You seemed very, very pumped. How did that go, and were you expecting to run that fast?

Until recently, my fastest 5k was from when I was 30 (pre-kids) and ran 18:40.  Once I had Addie and Will, I never thought I’d be able to run that fast again, and I was genuinely OK with that.  I had gotten older, life was significantly more tiring, and running never again would be my top priority with my family taking that spot. 

But as I slowly got back into running in 2021-2022, I dealt with a lot of foot issues and ended up not being able to run for quite some time, instead needing months of PT.  As I rehabilitated, I found myself more motivated than I otherwise would have been, and also much smarter about injury prevention.  Last year things started taking off and I managed an 18:32 5k at the end of September, which absolutely stunned me.  

Before the Delightful Run for Women (formerly Freihofer’s) last weekend, I’d only run two 5ks in 2024: 18:50 in March and 18:58 in early May on a hilly course.  I was hoping to be close to my PR but kept in mind that it’s not the easiest course.  I used my watch to keep me on pace for 18:40ish the first 2k and then just gutted it out for the last 3k.  Once again, it was a shock to see the time on the finish clock: 18:20, although my official chip time was 18:19 due to starting a second back. 

I recognize that being able to run these times with such a busy life and such low mileage is a bit of an anomaly and I’m truly grateful to be able to do so.   I think whether you’re running 18-minute 5ks or 28-minute 5ks, being able to surprise yourself with a good time is always exciting.  I hope to keep this momentum going, especially as I’m less than two years away from the Masters Division. 

What advice/encouragement can you give to women trying to regain competitiveness after having children? 

For any moms who are struggling to get back into running after kids: Yes, it can be hard and very daunting!  Start small and just try to have fun with it.  Making a little bit of time for myself to get out for a walk - and then eventually a run - especially in those early years, was key to me staying sane and ultimately being a better parent.  Also, just want to point out for anyone who has given birth, whether it was recently or years ago: Pelvic floor therapy can be extremely helpful!

Anything else I might have missed that you would like to add ... 

Just wanted to make sure it’s clear that I did not officially set a Guinness record YET … all the evidence has been submitted and they responded to let me know I should hear in the next 12 weeks if my performance met all their requirements and is accepted.