A MOTHER who darted across Abingdon while pushing her baby son in a pram is hoping to soon be the new Guinness World Record holder. 

Jessica Bruce believes she is now the fastest woman in the world to complete a marathon pushing a pram after completing the Abingdon Marathon in three hours, 17 minutes and 51 seconds.

The mother-of-one, from Risinghurst, tackled the 26.2 mile route around the town with seven-month-old son Daniel.

Dr Bruce, who is founder and director of running analysis firm Run3D, said: "I'm feeling proud. I honestly did not think I would be able to run it that fast. It was better than expected."

Hundreds of runners gathered at Tilsley Park at 9am for the start of the town's annual race, which took them to Dunmore Road, Twelve Acre Drive, into the town centre, as well as through the villages of Drayton, Milton and Sutton Courtenay before finishing back at Tilsley Park.

Dr Bruce, who was supported along the route by husband David, said she was overwhelmed by the support of strangers who cheered her on as she raced across the town.

The 32-year-old added: "You feel in a way like you are doing it not just for you but for everybody else as well. What was amazing about it was people that I did not even know had heard about what I was doing and people that had never even spoken to me before came up to me."

Dr Bruce will now send her result to Guinness World Records before she is declared as the new record holder.

Race director Gary Richards said about 200 volunteers lined the town’s streets to offer a helping hand to marathon runners.

He added: “Once the race is over, I feel immensely proud. A lot of people enter because they like the friendly nature of the race and people supporting them on the way round.”

See Wednesday's Abingdon Herald and Thursday's Oxford Mail for the results and pictures from the event.