All runners, and attempted runners, know that racing is no easy task no matter the distance.
Marathons, half-marathons, and 5k’s are just as much about the physical as they are about the mental.
As a mom, we are going through so much mental gymnastics during the day that we feel running a race would be too much on our plate – then we meet this mom.
Cynthia Lauren Arnold is a mom of three beautiful children; six-year-old Marguerite, three-year-old Simon, and 21-month-old Asha.
Arnold is an avid runner and participates in races across Montana. Her last race in the Missoula Marathon, she beat the record despite a unique challenge.
She pushed her three children in a triple stroller the whole race, totaling an added 185 pounds!
The previous record was 4 hours, six minutes, which means Arnold was running with three children faster than a 7:20 pace!
Most of us moms “run” at a brisk walking pace, stopping to “check on the kids” every few minutes so we can breathe again.
You may be wondering how three children sat content that long in a stroller. And no, the answer doesn’t involve a tablet.
Crowds were lined up along the racing route giving entertaining cheers of encouragement, and then at mile 14, Arnold did a quick pit stop to get all the kids popsicles- and still beat the record!
That is one supermom!
This isn’t Arnold’s first encounter with success. In 2018, she broke the half-marathon, triple stroller record at the same race, reports the Missoulian.
What most people would consider a tough challenge, Arnold looks at as a delightful event saying:
“It’s supposed to be fun for the kids. I have a bunch of friends who are coming down from Polson. It’s really going to be fun, I think. We’ve been running together all spring with this in mind.”
Taking the children along was not something her body was used to either. According to Runner’s World, most of Arnold’s training was done solo.
However, she would bring the kids occasionally to make sure she was up to the challenge, taking them on a couple ten-mile runs and one 17-mile run.
Some tracks are easier than others, and although the Missoula Marathon is allegedly flat, it is done at a high altitude.
HalfMarathon.net reports:
“Summertime brings the annual running of the Missoula Marathon, Half Marathon, Relay & 5K.
This gives runners a chance to run a high-elevation race through this city nestled in the Rocky Mountains of western Montana, at an elevation of 3,200 feet above sea level.”
At this elevation the effective amount of oxygen drops, making the simple act of breathing a bit more difficult if you aren’t used to it. The fact that Arnold could run this with extra baggage (albeit cute baggage) is an accomplishment, to say the least.
After not one, not two, but three world records later the supermom is hanging up competing with her children, but not saying goodbye to the sport altogether.
In 2020, she plans to run with her cheerleaders on the sidelines, keeping them involved in her passion.
Running has been an intimate part of Arnold’s life long before she was blessed with motherhood, so finding the balance between the two is important to her.
Runner’s World reports on her thoughts about motherhood and your personal interests:
“Running with the stroller has so many benefits for running parents. Those of us who run know how much it is a part of our identity. You can’t just give that up if you become a parent. The stroller gives one the freedom to carry on a lifestyle with new ones in tow.”
When you become a mother, you find out you are capable of so much more than you thought.
The Missoula Marathon gave Arnold a quantitative example of that, proving that motherhood only made her stronger.
Every mom selflessly caring for her children day in and day out is a super mom in her own right, there’s just a little less recognition for you.
But don’t worry! We see you, supermom!
(h/t Mommy Underground)