Milton is now home to a world record holder

(Photo by Ryan Gagnon)

Austin Kjorven held his Keeping The Distance Labour Day 10k Fundraiser last week around the Milton Velodrome.

He managed to push his stroller for ten kilometres, breaking the Guinness World Record for fastest time while raising money for Right to Play.

Kjorven says the morning of the run was very eventful.

He broke the world record with a time of 36m:06s. Kjorven was actually the second person to finish the run, with others around him keeping his pace high so he could break the record. He commended those who took part in running, saying he had great runners that were able to keep the pace fast and strong. He says Kyle Wyonch from Ajax was someone he knew would do well leading the pack. Coming in third was a Milton-resident named Erin Wrigglesworth.

With the morning being as wild as it was, Kjorven talks about how challenging the run actually ended up being.

He says his kids really enjoy running in the rain, and the rain by itself is never an issue. He’s actually a fan of a quick rainstorm on a hot day while running, but the wind can be defeating for a runner and he knew that going into the day.

Kjorven talks about the feeling of finishing the run and seeing his wife.

A lot of Kjorven’s running friends came into town to participate. They weren’t able to participate in marathons together this summer, so for a lot of them, this was their running highlight of the year. It made him proud knowing that a lot of his friends and the participants were able to post their best times ever during his event.

Austin’s wife Alex was the race director. Leading up to the race, he said that she was a driving force in the event actually kicking off. They were able to get support from the Town of Milton and several local businesses. Local media provided attention, and that was in part to her reaching out and telling his story.

The money that was raised was donated to Right to Play, an organization that provides children the opportunity to play sports and games. As a parent of young children and a teacher, Kjorven recognizes the value of children being active.

He says he’s proud of this year’s event, and is unsure if he will hold it again next year.

That said, records are meant to be broken.