Babes on Wheels to Join Redondo Super Bowl Run

Wheels and heels don’t mix. Or so goes the old runner’s axiom.

But don’t bother telling that to 13-month-old Zachary Cohen, or 2-year-old Rachel Beck, or any of the other dozens of toddlers expected to compete today in the annual Redondo Beach Super Bowl Sunday 10K Run.

Strapped in three-wheel jogger strollers that are de rigueur in beach city jogging circles, the tykes will be pushed through the winding course by huffing and puffing parents.

And if this year is anything like last year, Rachel is likely to have a ball while her father tries to pick up a first-place medal. In two previous outings, the father-daughter duo came in second in the stroller category.

“She loves it,” said Jim Beck, who also runs marathons without Rachel. “During the run she picks out everything. There are people on the sidelines waving to her, and she eats that stuff up.”

According to the race’s organizers, jogger strollers have become increasingly popular across the country with parents who view the contraptions as the solution to maintaining their running habit without sacrificing time with their little ones.

Easy to push and maneuver, the strollers have one wheel on the front and two in the back and come equipped with pneumatic tires. The first model was invented seven years ago and quickly spawned several imitators.

“I would be happy if 200 baby buggies showed up,” said Mark Conte, chief organizer of the Redondo race.

But although Conte may welcome the strollers with open arms, many other race organizers do not. Citing safety concerns for both toddlers and runners, they contend that strollers interfere with other runners’ maneuverability and are difficult to see in a crowded field.

Organizers of Manhattan Beach’s annual 10-K, for instance, have banned the strollers, and the Road Runners Club of America, a Virginia-based running group with 450 clubs nationwide, has recommended that its members not allow them in races.

“It’s almost like we are against apple pie and motherhood because we don’t want these strollers,” said Henley Gibble, the organization’s executive director. “But it is purely for the baby’s safety.”

The strollers have been allowed in the Redondo Beach run ever since they became popular with parents. Although race officials don’t have figures, they say the number of entrants in the baby buggy jogger division continues to grow every year.

As of Friday, 63 jogger strollers had officially registered for the race, and 50 more were expected to sign up by Sunday morning. Last year, 86 jogger strollers crossed the finish line. The top three men and women in the category receive medals. A total of 10,000 people are expected to participate this year in the event, which also includes a 5-kilometer walk.

If this year is like previous years, a few pets are likely to be tucked into some of the strollers. Two years ago a beagle tried to pass itself off as a child by wearing a baby bonnet.

“We’re not specific that there be a baby in the stroller,” Conte said. “If it is alive it qualifies. God knows what that might lead to one day.”

Conte said there have never been any injuries caused by accidents between strollers or strollers and other runners. And to enhance the toddlers’ safety, they are required to wear a helmet, he said.

Race officials concede that in the past, there have been complaints by some top runners that the strollers have gotten in their way. Other runners have groaned that the strollers nip at their heels. Race spokesman Deek Houlgate said chagrin probably plays a large part in some of the complaints.

“It is very embarrassing to be passed by a slip of a girl pushing 15 pounds down the street,” Houlgate said. “Most of the problem is imaginary.”

In an effort to appease those unhappy with the baby buggy joggers, race organizers have tried to separate the strollers from the rest of the runners. For a couple of years, the baby buggy joggers were required to start the race from the rear of the pack. Still, some of them overtook the other runners.

“These baby buggy joggers were running right up their backsides,” Conte said.

This year, the strollers will start at the same time as the wheelchair athletes, 10 minutes ahead of the other runners. Race officials predict most of the baby buggy joggers will finish ahead--and out of the way--of the other runners.

“If you have ever seen a baby jogger, they are incredible,” Conte said. “The stroller doesn’t slow you down that much.”

Several parents who plan to run in the event with their young children said they do not believe they are placing their children in jeopardy. Chris Scott, who has entered the race with her 13-month-old son, Domenic, said running with a stroller is not much different from running without one.

“It’s not that much different except you have to use your arms,” she said. “I usually end up using one hand on the stroller and one hand to swing.”

Scott, who started running with her son when he was 6 or 7 months old, said it is not uncommon for Domenic to sleep while they run. They usually run in the early evening, his fuzzy time, she said.

“It kind of mellows him out,” she said, adding she is uncertain how he’ll react Sunday.

“I hope I don’t have to stop and carry him,” she said.

Ted and Peggy Cohen, who live in Manhattan Beach, said they both plan to run the race, with Peggy pushing their young son, 13-month-old Zachary. As usual, they said they would place Zachary’s bottle and a couple of toys in the stroller, although it remained to be seen how he would behave on race day.

“I think he is going to be excited,” Peggy Cohen said. “He is going to say, ‘What the heck is going on?’ ”

As for Jim Beck, he said his daughter Rachel is almost 3, which means it won’t be long before she won’t be able to sit in the stroller, which has a 40-pound capacity.

But he expects to compete in the baby buggy jogger category for several years to come. He and his wife are expecting another baby at the end of summer.