Tollefsons Appear to Set World Record at CIM
Tim and Lindsay Tollefson before the 2012 Trials (Photo courtesy Tim Tollefson)
By John Schumacher
Tim and Lindsay Tollefson headed into the 2013 California International Marathon hoping to record qualifying times for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.
The couple might have achieved something else last December during the 26.2-mile race from Folsom to the state Capitol: a Guinness World Record.
The Tollefsons’ combined time of 5 hours – he ran 2:18:29, she finished in 2:41:31 — appears to be the fastest marathon run by a married couple in the same event. Guinness lists Kenta and Norika Soto of Japan as the current record holders for fastest married couple, aggregate time, with a 5:28:23 mark.
The Sacramento Running Association, which puts on the CIM, plans to submit the Tollefsons’ combined time for Guinness consideration.
The Tollefsons, who lived in Lincoln before moving recently to Mammoth Lakes, are getting a chuckle out of the unexpected development. “I think it’s a pretty neat thing,” said Tim Tollefson, a 29-year-old physical therapist who just missed the men’s Olympic Trials qualifying standard of 2:18:00.
“It’s kind of funny; you don’t think about that stuff.”
Lindsay Tollefson, a 29-year-old travel agent and student, also noted the Guinness record wasn’t on her radar. “When I first heard about it, I thought, ‘that’s cool,’” said Tollefson, who met the women’s Olympic Trials qualifying standard of 2:43:00.
Other couples own faster combined personal bests, but no other couple is believed to have recorded a faster combined time in the same race at the same time on a legal course.
The Tollefsons, who compete for the Sacramento Running Association’s Elite Team, have been standout runners for years. Both competed at Chico State and earned spots in the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.
Tim Tollefson finished 26th with a 2:19:43 effort in the prestigious Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minn. in June. Lindsay Tollefson won the women’s title with a 1:21:55 performance in the Mammoth Half Marathon two months ago.
They plan to return to Sacramento for the 32nd CIM on Dec. 7. “We love CIM,” Tim Tollefson said. “It’s probably our favorite marathon course we’ve ever run.”
A Guinness record would further cement CIM’s reputation as the fastest course in the West.
Editor’s Note: If you plan to run CIM, you should probably sign up quickly as it will sell out. As of a couple days ago, they were already at 85% capacity.