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Canadian Calum Neff wants to run a sub-2:32 marathon…with a stroller

Canadian Calum Neff announced that he will be attempting to set a new world record at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in October.

Calum Neff
Calum Neff
Neff during his world record run at the Katy half-marathon. Photo: Julie Neff.

The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on Oct. 16 will feature runners of all abilities including some looking to set new Guinness world records. One such attempt will be Canadian and Houston-based Calum Neff, who looks to run under 2:42:21 while pushing a stroller.

Neff, 31, set the world half-marathon record for racing with a stroller on Feb. 6 in Katy, Texas. He ran a blistering 1:11:27 with his daughter Holland, who was 11-months-old at the time, and now has his sights set on the fastest marathon with a stroller. He hopes to run under 2:32.

RELATED: See Neff’s full backstory here.

“I’ve always called [Toronto] home base even though I’ve never lived there,” says Neff. “Growing up around the world we would always come to Toronto in the summer and in-between moves as my mother is from Scarborough. With lots of family still in the area it’s a tradition I’ve continued with my own family.”

The father of two was the top Canadian at the national 50K championships in Calgary and was part of the team that set the 24-hour treadmill world record at Calgary race weekend. Neff also ran a 2:28:52 indoor marathon at the Armory in New York City on April 9.

RELATED: Team of 18 women attempting record-setting run on Ontario’s 885-kilometre Bruce Trail.

The current marathon record with a stroller is held by Michael Wardian. Michal Kapral, the former editor-in-chief at Canadian Running, first set the record in 2004 at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon by running 2:49:44 before Wardian ran the current mark in 2007.

Neff says that he may attempt the marathon record with his eldest daughter, Alessandra, who turns four in August.

RELATED: 42-year-old races twice, totalling more than 22 hours, in three-day span.

“Aley and I have run tons of miles together – we even teamed up recently without the stroller – and at 4-years-old she will share the moment with me, something that she will never forget,” says Neff. “It’s nice having someone to talk to now that she is at that age, and if I’m lucky, she shares her snacks too.”

The University of Houston graduate was born in Aberdeen, Scotland and grew up in Calgary before moving to Texas, his current residence. He works full-time in the oilfield industry as an operations manager.

Calum Neff
Neff and his daughter Holland.

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