Cape Verde Olympian smashes stroller mile world record by nine seconds

Last weekend in Newburyport, Mass., former Olympian Ruben Sança shattered the stroller mile world record in a swift four minutes and 32 seconds while pushing his son at the 30th annual High Street Mile.

Sança broke the previous record of four minutes and 41 seconds with his 55-pound, five-year-old son, Greyson, strapped into the stroller. The week before, Sança won the Newburyport Lions Club 10-mile road race while pushing his son.

According to an interview with local news, Sança’s said the stroller weighed 25 pounds, so he ran a 4:32 mile while pushing 80 pounds.

Although he broke the world record, he will have to wait to have his record ratified by Guinness. Until ratification, the current Guinness World Record for the stroller mile is held by Taylor Huseman, which he set on a track in March. 

At the 2012 London Olympics, Sança was one of three athletes on the Cape Verdean Olympic team. He competed in the 5,000 metres, finishing 40th overall in the heats.

Sança is the current Cape Verdean record holder in the 3,000m indoors (8:07.50), 5,000m (14:05.39), 5K  (14:11) and the marathon (2:18:47).

Drew Piazza of Cambridge, Mass. won the mile in 4:09.3. In the women’s race, Melissa Lodge of Providence, R.I. was the winner in 4:38.5.