A Hamilton man crossed the finish line of the Buffalo Marathon in first place last weekend as he pushed his sleeping two-year-old son into a stroller.
“I told him about 20 miles, about six miles left: ‘Sutton, I think you’ll be first and I’ll be second.’ Just raise your hands just before the final, “Lucas McAneney told CTV News Toronto on Wednesday.
“Of course, he fell asleep just before the final,” he added.
The 35-year-old Hamilton resident technically had an additional hurdle compared to other hands-free runners, but it didn’t seem to slow him down.
He finished the race in two hours, 33 minutes and 32 seconds, which placed him in first place.
During the race, the father-son duo talked about ambulances, police cars and the construction vehicles they passed, just as they usually do every day. McAneney said his son usually accompanies him in 90% of his runs.
“It was even more motivating for me,” McAnnini said.
The two were just two minutes away from breaking the Guinness World Record for the fastest marathon running in a wheelchair, which is currently two hours, 31 minutes and 21 seconds and is held by another Canadian, Callum Neff.
However, trying to break that record was crucial. Without that goal, Sutton may not have been allowed to join his father.
“The only way to compete with him was to get an exception to break a world record,” McAneney said.
But even the day before the race, Lucas said it was a 50/50 chance they could really get to the marathon.
If the weather was stormy or Sutton felt bad that day, they had to stay home. Waking up at 5:40 in the morning, they almost missed the race, arriving just five minutes before the start.
“The fact that we were the first to cross the border is something we will talk about for the rest of our lives,” McAneney said.
After Sutton turned three in July and his legs were hanging from his stroller, his father said it might be time for them to compete side by side next time.
“His shared love of running as fast as possible is pretty strong,” McAnnini said, pointing to his favorite game – chasing his father in backyard circles.
“I had a very happy running career, but it was the highlight of my running career, the one I’m most proud of.”
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