Crystal Davis is an inspiring woman. She is a military wife with two kids and a love for running. She has run over 20 races while pushing her two children. Including the Donna full marathon in Jacksonville, FL (which earned her a Boston Marathon qualifying time of 3hrs. 16min.), 2 half-marathons, 1-30k, two 4 mile races, multiple 5k’s and one 1-mile race. Not only has she completed all of these races, she has placed or won most of them.

She runs an average pace of 6 minutes in shorter races and 7:10 in her marathon events, a pace that a lot of people can’t maintain without pushing an extra 60+ lbs. She heads up a stroller running group called “Stroller Mom Squad” in which she helps other women with children reach and exceed their running goals. She pushes her kids while running to include them in her passion and promote a healthy and active lifestyle in her family.

Even with a qualifying time, the Boston Athletic Association will not allow her to compete pushing a stroller because they consider it “dangerous” even though she has competed and even won races of similar size and length. She is an inspiration to running mothers everywhere and it is truly an amazing thing to watch her run as fast as she does even while pushing her children. Pushing a stroller in a race is no more dangerous than wheelchair competitors, or recumbent bikers competing in a field of runners.

The Boston Athletic Association not allowing stroller pushing in the Boston Marathon is hurtful to mothers, fathers, and runners everywhere. Why would we want to discourage stroller pushing while competing? What if a runner was a single mom or dad with no babysitter or no means to have someone watch their children for them? If he/she can qualify in a large scale race, why can’t they do the same thing in the Boston Marathon.

The point is, seeing someone run by you in a race pushing a stroller is inspirational to a lot of people. I have heard the cheers and “way to go’s” and “wow’s” and “you are an inspiration’s” either while I was stroller pushing, or someone else pushing a stroller was running by.

Help us get this rule changed so that Crystal and other parents like her, who are avid runners aren’t barred from competing in events in which they have worked incredibly hard to qualify for due to unnecessary rules and regulations.