Mother-son team aim for running world records

QUINTON, Va. (WWBT) - A Quinton boy is hoping to set a world record - racing across seven continents with his mom. He’s been running for years, often for causes to help others.

Maryanne and Braxton Lee want to run on every continent - yes, even Antarctica - and do it in just seven days. If they finish it, they’d set two records.

Braxton loves to run in the quiet with just the sounds of his feet on the pavement. He’s been running for a long time, always with a goal. This new goal is a big one.

He’s hoping to be the youngest kid - and the first mother-son team - to finish seven half marathons in seven continents in seven days.

“Well, he has his list on the fridge of his goals,” said Maryanne. “He’s had it for as long as I can remember. And I get excited watching him check them off. And this is a big one. "

Braxton started running at 5 years old, and mom used to be able to keep up with his pace. Now, they just start together. And Braxton’s mom says as long as he’s run, he’s run with heart.

“I’ve run for fallen a front for fallen officers and people who came before what got me into running was actually running for a fallen officer because I saw a fundraiser for Trooper Dermyer, a fallen officer from Gloucester,” he said.

“I said to my parents, what if I could run for him? And I started running for him, and then I ran for other officers.”

He’s raised close to $20,000 for others and started “Braxton Running for People Who Can’t.” In addition to raising money for fallen and injured law enforcement, he’s run for sick children, animal awareness organizations, and anywhere else he felt he could make a difference.

“So his school’s actually set up something where they are going to use GoPros. We’re going to have GoPros so his friends can watch him and they can show it at the school, which he was really excited about,” said Maryanne.

They’re also preparing for all the different climates.

“We’ve heard that the biggest thing is sunglasses for Antarctica, special sunglasses to wear for snow blindness,” said Maryanne.

They’re packing for all types of weather - anything from tank tops and shorts to full snow gear.

Competing in the race will cost the family $70,000. They say they only have $15,000 left to raise.

Braxton and Maryanne will start the races on Jan. 31 in Antarctica and will finish in Miami on Feb. 6.

By the way, it’s 55 hours of flight time in those seven days, too.

To learn more, go to www.leesworldquest.com

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