Young Holland Neff was the first person to cross the finish line during the Katy Half Marathon in Katy, Texas, but she did not take home the title of half-marathon champion. 

That is because 11-month-old Holland did not actually compete in the Feb. 6 race. She was an excited stroller passenger as her father, Calum Neff, a University of Arkansas at Little Rock alumnus and former cross country and track and field team member, not only won the race, but broke a world record in the process.

Neff’s time of one hour, 11 minutes, and 27 seconds was two minutes faster than the previous Guinness World Record time for the fastest half marathon run by a man while pushing a pram.

“Like any record, I went after it because it’s there,” said Neff, a 31-year-old operations manager for an oil field services company. “It’s just a bit of fun. I don’t typically race with my daughters, but we saw there was a Guinness record and thought we could go after it. It was really about running with my little girl.”

Neff said Holland, who spent most of the time enthusiastically cooing and clapping to the excited fans who were watching the competition, was the real star of the race.

“Holland did awesome. She was loving it,” he said. “The last 100 meters of the race were super exciting. I was raising my arms and cheering, and crossing that line was a lot of fun. My wife, Julie, was there waiting for us, and we were all very happy. I’m not sure Holly knew what was happening, but she was loving all the cameras.”

Neff, who has been racing since the age of 4, documented the race with video and witnesses, and will submit his documentation to Guinness in an attempt to become the official record-holder.

Until Guinness World Records has the opportunity to review and verify Neff’s evidence, the record is currently held by Travis Boyd, who pushed his 1-year-old daughter Julia to victory in one hour, 13 minutes, and 50 seconds at the Heroes Half Marathon April 28, 2013, in Everett, Washington.

Neff grew up moving around the world and lived in many countries, including Scotland, Thailand, and Australia. After finishing high school in his native country of Canada, Neff was recruited to UALR after having met then-coach Kirk Elias while competing in 2002 at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, California.

He competed on the UALR track and cross country teams from 2002 to 2005. He transferred to the University of Houston in 2005 to be closer to his family and graduated in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in broadcast journalism.

“Being a student-athlete is really special,” Neff said. “It puts a different perspective on college life. I think it set me up well to find balance now that I have a family and work and competitions. It’s a great opportunity, and I am very thankful to the people who helped me, especially the track and cross country staff at UALR.”

Neff still keeps in touch regularly with the coaching staff at UALR. Milton Williams, director of track and field and cross country, served as his assistant coach for two years and his head coach for one year.

“Calum is a very talented young man who had a nice career at UALR,” Williams said. “He has gone on to accomplish a lot outside of college. He is a very accomplished runner who has continued to do well in his sport.”

As an avid runner who competes in several races a year,  Neff’s next competition is the Wings for Life World Run, a May 8 event with 33 races worldwide that will raise money for spinal cord injury research. Neff is participating in a Niagara Falls race that will span nearly 50 miles.

And this may not be the only time that Guinness officials hear from Neff. Next on his list of world-record-breaking goals is to take on the record for the fastest time to run a full marathon while pushing a pram by a man.

That record is currently held by Michael Wardian, who ran the Frederick Marathon in Maryland in two hours, 42 minutes, and 21 seconds, while pushing his nine-month-old son to victory on May 6, 2007.

“The only logical thing to do is the full marathon now,” he said. “There is a Guinness record for the full marathon, and I could do it with my oldest daughter, Alessandra, who is 3. We are going to look into that.”

Upper right photo: Former UALR student-athlete Calum Neff stands with his wife, Julie, and daughter, Holland, after winning the Katy Half Marathon. Photo courtesy of The Bayou City Half Marathon Series.