History made: Bay Area mother-daughter duo becomes Guinness World Record holders

DANVILLE, Calif. - A Bay Area mother and her teenage daughter have sailed into the record books as a remarkable duo, completing a more than 31-mile race, running side by side together. 

Last week, Guinness World Records officially certified Natalia Lazarus and her 16-year-old daughter, Cienna, as the fastest mother and daughter duo to run a 50K ultramarathon.

What we know:

The pair ran together the whole time, covering a total of 31.07 miles, both under five hours, for a record 9 hours, 56 minutes, and 20 seconds combined total time.

The race was held on June 20 in Cerritos, in Los Angeles County. 

The Guinness World Records' review and certification process can take months, and Lazarus said they officially received word that their feat broke a world record on Sept. 11.

On the Guinness World Records website, the mother's and daughter's names and race completion time under its "Fastest 50 km ultra marathon run by a mother and daughter" page.

Cienna just made the age requirement. 

The British record tracking site explained that in order to be considered for this title, applicants must be at least 16 years old.  

"Natalia and Cienna hope to challenge other mothers and daughters to chase big dreams!" noted the site.

Running for a cause

Big picture view:

The mom said the ultramarathon was more than just about conquering a physical challenge for her and her daughter.

In an email to KTVU, Lazarus explained that through the race, they raised $7,500 toward the anti-human trafficking efforts of the nonprofit Venture.

"Our goal was to raise money and awareness for the nonprofit," the mom said. 

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Cienna said focusing on the reason behind every step they took, served as a powerful motivation.

"Whenever I faced a moment where it felt like I wanted to give up, the thought of the children we were doing this for empowered me to keep going," the teenage runner said.  

Cienna, who attends San Ramon Valley High School in Danville, runs track and cross-country for her school.

Like mother, like daughter

Fair to say, her mom may have passed down the tenacity, resilience and grit required for running long distances, not to mention the athletic skills.

The two trained for months for the ultramarathon. 

The mom, who works as a health and fitness coach, noted that the focus of the training went far beyond the physical preparation. 

"There's always the physical training that goes into a race like this, but the mindset training was the most important part," Natalia Lazarus explained. "Even when you're in the best shape of your life, 31 miles of continuous running, just under five hours with no walking, takes its toll."

The Great World Race

Dig deeper:

Last year, the mom completed the extreme endurance event known as The Great World Race, which is made up of seven marathons on all seven continents completed in seven consecutive days.

An elite group of only 60 runners participate in the ultimate global marathon every year, according to the race's website.  

Racers go from facing extreme conditions with their strides, hitting the remote Antarctica region of Wolf's Fang, Cape Town in South Africa, the Australian city of Perth, Singapore, the Algarve region of Portugal, Cartagena in Colombia, and ending in Miami.

"This journey included overcoming a significant injury, extreme temperatures, and sleep deprivation while traveling across the globe in under a week," Lazarus noted back in November at the completion of the event.

Lazarus said her daughter joined her for that final marathon in Miami.

"That was the moment that she tested her limits," the mom said.

She said when she later broached her daughter about doing the ultramarathon together, "She didn't even hesitate."

Cienna said the experience taught her a lot about herself.

"Taking on this challenge with my mom proved to me that I am capable of so much more than I thought," the teen said.

Proud mom

Her mom expressed how proud she was of her daughter, celebrating the young runner's ability to overcome that point when endurance sports athletes hit what's known as the "pain cave," when continuing on seems impossible.

As she announced the news of their world record achievement on Instagram, the mom shared how the profound experience will be one she will always cherish.

"I could not be more proud to share this achievement and memory with my 16 year old," the mother and Guinness World Record holder shared. "She worked so incredibly hard to accomplish this goal."   

And while they crossed the finish line tighter, the mom said, she hoped it was just the start of a powerful bonding experience, an experience full of challenges, hard work, pain, and triumph. 

"I hope this is the beginning of big running adventures we share together," she said, "as mother and daughter."