CLEVELAND — Stephen Biebelhausen and his daughter, Blake, set a new world record for the fastest stroller mile at the Guardian Mile race this weekend, finishing in 4 minutes and 17 seconds, beating the previous men's stroller-mile record of 4:26.29 by 9 seconds. Guinness World Records would need to verify the time before it becomes official.
The Guardian Mile is a one-mile race held on the Guardian Bridge.
Biebelhausen said running has always been part of his life, and bringing Blake along was a natural next step.
"I've been in Chicago, been around here, just always find a good group of guys to go run with in the mornings, and yeah, just stayed running. So we wanted to get her into it too," Biebelhausen said.
The race was a last-minute decision when he learned his friend was also running that day. Biebelhausen looked up the existing course record and liked his chances, so he went for it.
"I thought it would be fun to just pop her in there. I looked up the course record. I was like, 'I could probably do that. You know, 4:44,'" Biebelhausen said.
Blake, for her part, was fully engaged throughout the race.
"She talked. She loved the crowd cheering," Biebelhausen said.
Once they crossed the finish line, reality set in, and they broke the record.
"It was very surprising. It was also probably equally as surprising that it was like 45 minutes past her bedtime and she was still in like a good mood," Biebelhausen said.
For Biebelhausen, the run was about more than competition. It was about sharing something he loves with his daughter.
"That's the best. I mean, I love taking her for runs for that exact reason. Is you know, she gets all happy to come out and enjoy nature," Biebelhausen said.
He is already looking ahead to the day Blake runs alongside him.
"I can't wait to show her all this. We're definitely like scrapbooking and saving all this," Biebelhausen said.
For now, Blake is celebrating the only way a 1-year-old knows how, with air kicks, waves, and baby talk for the camera.
Nadeen Abusada is a Cuyahoga County and immigration reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on Instagram NadeenAbusada or email her at Nadeen.Abusada@wews.com.
