Balancing fatherhood with an Olympic dream

Danish Olympic marathon hopeful Jacob Sommer Simonsen talks about running a 68-minute half marathon with a stroller (!!) and how being a father affects his running practice.

Jacob Simonsen hit headlines last summer when he ran a 68:04 half marathon in his hometown of Aarhus, Denmark. The world record is 57:31, so what was the big deal? He ran the whole thing while pushing his then one-year-old son, Viggo in a stroller.

A national team runner, Jacob is hoping to qualify to represent Denmark in the marathon at the Paris Olympics this summer. Having set a personal best time of 2:11:22 in Valencia late in 2023, he’s hoping to run a fast time in the National Championships at the Copenhagen Marathon in May to get the necessary ranking points to help him qualify.