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Calgary dad finishes Toronto marathon with stroller, new world record

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[Calum Neff and his daughter, Alessandra, accept an award from a Guinness World Record official for “fastest marathon pushing a pram” by a male. Canada Running Series/Twitter via Guinness World Records]

Being a father is a full-time job, so when Calum Neff competed in Sunday’s Toronto Waterfront Marathon, he decided to bring his daughter along for the ride.

The Calgary-born athlete was just one of the approximately 4,500 runners to compete in the 42.2-kilometre race, but he did have the distinction of being the only one to do so while pushing a stroller carrying his four-year-old daughter, Alessandra.

Neff was able to finish the race 18th overall in a time of two hours, 31 minutes and 21 seconds, earning him the Guinness World Record for “fastest marathon pushing a pram” by a male, according to Canadian Running Magazine.

The Canadian’s recorded time was 11 minutes faster than the previous record held by American athlete Michael Wardian. It also complements Neff’s previous record for “fastest half marathon pushing a pram.”

For anyone wondering what running a full marathon while pushing a stroller actually looks like, you’ll be happy to hear that Neff streamed his entire record-breaking race on Facebook for anyone to watch.

Neff and his daughter weren’t the only ones to make headlines for setting unusual records at the marathon.

Five other Guinness World Records were set Sunday by various male and female athletes dressed in an array of unique outfits.

World record race times were set for running while wearing a suit, a chef’s outfit, swimming attire and full motocross gear, as confirmed by Guinness officials.

Also of note, 85-year-old Ed Whitlock of Milton, Ont., set a world record for his age group at the Toronto marathon by finishing the race in 3:56:33.2, according to CBC.

Meanwhile, Kenyan runner Philemon Rono won the marathon with a time of 2:08:27.