This Dad Ran a 4:17 Stroller Mile With His Daughter—and Set an Unofficial World Record

Stephen Biebelhausen had done exactly one stroller-specific speed workout before the Guardian Mile, a Cleveland road mile with a stroller division where he decided to line up with his daughter, Blake. One week before the race, he ran six 400-meter repeats—his only real race-prep session before pushing the stroller through a mile in 4:17.That impressive time unofficially smashed the previous Guinness World Record of 4:26:29, set by Silas Frantz while pushing his son Otto through Arroyo Grande, California, in June 2025.“I truly did not think I was going for the world record,” Biebelhausen told Runner’s World. “I thought on a good day I could break the course record of 4:44 and get into the 4:30s.”Then the race started, and he went through the first 400 meters in 65 seconds.“Oops,” he said.By halfway, Biebelhausen was near 2:12 as he reached the top of a bridge, and he says it was at that moment when the record suddenly felt possible.Biebelhausen had been running marathons for the last few years and raced the Pittsburgh Marathon this spring, but afterward he wanted a lighter stretch of training, some speedwork, and a chance to enjoy running again.Most of his summer stroller miles with Blake were nowhere near race pace. He typically brings her along partly to give his wife an hour or so of a break and partly because Blake loves being out there. Their usual runs are closer to 7:30 pace, with Blake taking in dogs, squirrels, trees, and birds along the way.“[She] squeals when I put the running stroller in and whenever we get to one of our running spots,” he said.Without specifically training for it, those regular miles also made handling the stroller feel a lot more natural.“I never consciously changed anything,” he said, “but compared to when I started running with it, it’s definitely much easier now.”Pacing the Guardian Mile was still mostly a guessing game. Biebelhausen said it was difficult to look at his watch while pushing the stroller that fast, so he ran by feel. The plan was to treat it like a mile, but stay slightly more controlled early because the race began uphill.Wind, he said, can make stroller running particularly tricky.“Everyone comments on how hard hills are with a stroller, but if you get a nice headwind that thing turns into a sail,” he said.Laura Rybka PhotographyRace day brought a little tailwind and crosswind, so navigating the start became the bigger concern. Even in a stroller division, finding position wasn’t easy.“[It’s] hard to get respect and push to the front of the line with a baby and a stroller,” he said. “Then just trying not to run anyone over and ruin their race!”Blake, meanwhile, seemed to be thriving during the whole thing. Biebelhausen said she loves running with him in general, but the race crowd clearly added something special.“She loved everyone cheering for her on the bridge,” he said, “and that’s why she was pumping those legs so much.”But a 4:17 stroller mile also raises an obvious question for parents—and really anyone—watching the video: What makes running that fast with a child safe?Alexandra Dunham, MD, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at the University of Maryland Golisano Children’s Hospital, said the equipment matters most.“When you’re running with a child, particularly an infant, it’s important to use a stroller or seat that’s specifically designed for running,” Dunham told Runner’s World. “Think about the level of security you expect from a car seat in a vehicle. You want that same level of safety when you’re out for a run.”Dunham said open bassinets, where a child can move around freely, may not provide enough support for running. For babies, the general milestone is strong head and neck control.“As for when it’s safe to start running with a baby, the general milestone is when they can hold their head up completely on their own without wobbling,” she said. “That’s typically around 5 months of age.”Biebelhausen said safety was an obvious priority for him, too. Blake was strapped in securely, and the course helped because it was mostly straight. Sharp 90-degree turns, he said, require significantly slowing down to avoid tipping.“I have to commend someone for being able to pull off a mile at 4:17,” Dunham said. “Fourteen miles per hour sounds fast, but we travel faster than that in a car on the way to the pediatrician’s office. If a child is in a secure stroller that’s designed for running, that’s really the key consideration.”Biebelhausen was shocked when he saw his finishing time, but the result also left him wondering how much faster he could go with more mile-specific preparation.“There’s some room to go,” he said.He’s realistic, though, about how long his time might last. When he first looked up the stroller record, he joked that he was surprised someone like Jakob Ingebrigtsen or Josh Kerr hadn’t already taken a stroller out and gone sub-4:00 just because.“My record won’t last long,” Biebelhausen said. “But it is certainly something I won’t forget and can’t wait to show Blake when she’s older.”Sean Abrams was the Senior Editor, Growth and Engagement at Men’s Health. He’s a former hip hop dancer who likes long walks on the beach and large glasses of tequila. You can find his previous work at Maxim, Elite Daily, and AskMen.