Chad Fact sheet
The details reporters ask for most.
- Name
- Chad Kempel
- Based in
- Boise, Idaho
- Work
- Keynote speaker for high school assemblies and conferences
- Records
- Four Guinness World Records titles, all set pushing his children in a five-seat stroller (marathon, 10K, half marathon, 1 kilometer), 2019 to 2023. Full race history
- Family
- Father of seven, in birth order: Savannah, Avery, and quintuplets Lincoln, Noelle, Grayson, Preston, and Gabriella (three boys, two girls). Twin sons, Marshall and Spencer, were born alive in 2013 at 22 weeks and died shortly after birth. Chad and Amy also lost five babies to miscarriage across four pregnancies.
- Quintuplets
- Born January 11, 2018, at 27 weeks and 3 days. Each weighed under 3 pounds. They spent 73 days in the NICU. All five survived.
- Birth weights
- Lincoln 2 lbs 12.8 oz, Noelle 2 lbs 14.9 oz, Grayson 2 lbs 5.9 oz, Preston 2 lbs 5.9 oz, Gabriella 2 lbs 5.6 oz
- Education
- MA, Experimental Psychology, San Jose State University (2009). BA, Psychology with a minor in Statistics, California State University, East Bay.
- Teaching
- Lecturer in psychology and statistics, San Jose State University, 2011 to 2016
- Service
- Volunteer math instructor at San Quentin State Prison for five years through the Prison University Project. Volunteer at Idaho State Correctional Institution, 2023 to 2025. Special Olympics coach, 2013 to 2015.
- Endurance
- Ironman Canada, August 28, 2011, Penticton, BC, in 15:18:36 (bib 356; results). Alcatraz swim (twice). 100-mile run.
- Media
- Featured by more than 30 national and international outlets. Family videos known as "Quint Hacks" drew more than 300 million views before any of the records.
- Writing
- Anything Is Possible Was Never the End of the Sentence, a short guide on Amazon (author page)
- Published in
- Guinness World Records 2025 (page 179) and Ripley's Believe It or Not! Dare to Discover (page 105)
- Contact
- chad@chadkempel.com
The records
Each title was new when Chad set it. The weight shown is the stroller plus the children on that day.
The marathon took three tries
Guinness set a qualifying time of 4:45:00 for the marathon title. Chad missed it twice before setting the record.
| Attempt | Date | Time | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feb 3, 2019 | 5:31:32 | Missed the mark by about 46 minutes (Surf City Marathon) |
| 2 | Mar 24, 2019 | 4:49:29 | Missed the mark by about 4 minutes |
| 3 | Mar 31, 2019 | 4:42:49 | Record set, seven days after attempt 2 |
Chad got the idea from Ann Marie Cody and Teresa Marie Pitts, who set Guinness World Records titles pushing triple strollers. He set the final record, the 1K, on his hometown track so his family would always have one that belonged to where they live.
Bios
Use whichever length fits. Light edits for space are fine.
Short
About 70 wordsChad Kempel helps high school students name what's holding them back. Then he teaches them what he learned the hard way: anything is possible, but only after you decide it applies to you. He is the father of seven, including quintuplets born at 27 weeks, and set four Guinness World Records titles pushing his children in a stroller. He holds an MA in Experimental Psychology and lives in Boise, Idaho.
Medium
About 170 wordsChad Kempel helps high school students name what's holding them back. Then he teaches them what he learned the hard way: anything is possible, but only after you decide it applies to you.
He is the father of seven. His quintuplets were born in 2018 at 27 weeks, each under three pounds and given little chance of survival. A year later, Chad set out to run a marathon pushing all five in a stroller. He missed the Guinness World Records mark by 46 minutes, then by four, then set the record a week later. Three more titles followed: the 10K, the half marathon, and the 1 kilometer.
Before any of the records, his family's "Quint Hacks" videos drew more than 300 million views. His story has been covered by TODAY, Good Morning America, ABC World News Tonight, People, Men's Health, and Runner's World.
Chad holds an MA in Experimental Psychology from San Jose State University, where he taught psychology and statistics for five years. He lives in Boise, Idaho.
Full
About 370 wordsChad Kempel helps high school students name what's holding them back. Then he teaches them what he learned the hard way: anything is possible, but only after you decide it applies to you.
In high school, Chad sometimes walked the hallways alone, and his grades were poor, not because he couldn't do the work but because he hadn't decided to. Wrestling changed that. The team required a minimum GPA, and he found out the grades had been his choice all along. He went on to earn a BA in Psychology from California State University, East Bay and an MA in Experimental Psychology from San Jose State University, where he taught psychology and statistics for five years. He also spent five years as a volunteer teaching math inside San Quentin State Prison.
In 2013, Chad and his wife, Amy, lost twin sons, Marshall and Spencer, born at 22 weeks. They held both boys as they died, less than an hour after birth. In 2018, their quintuplets were born at 27 weeks, each under three pounds and given little chance of survival. All five came home after 73 days in the NICU. Counting the twins and five babies lost to miscarriage, Chad puts it this way: "We have seven on earth and seven in heaven."
A year later, Chad set out to run a marathon pushing all five in a stroller. He missed the Guinness World Records mark by 46 minutes, then by four, then set the record a week later. Three more titles followed: the 10K, the half marathon, and in 2023 the 1 kilometer, run on his hometown track pushing 301 pounds. At each finish he carried a sign reading "Anything Is Possible." He made it in 2011 for his father and first carried it at Ironman Canada, a race he entered for him.
Videos of Chad's family have drawn more than 300 million views, and his story has appeared on TODAY, Good Morning America, ABC World News Tonight, and You Bet Your Life with Jay Leno, and in People, Men's Health, and Runner's World.
Chad speaks to high schools and conferences on resilience, mental health, and belonging. Born in Hayward and raised in San Lorenzo and Castro Valley, he moved to the Boise area with Amy in 2019, where they’re raising their seven children.
Stage introduction
For the host or emcee. Two versions: use the first for high school assemblies, the second for conferences and adult audiences. Please read as written.
High school assemblies
Our speaker today holds four Guinness World Records titles, and he set every one of them pushing his kids in a stroller. The first time he tried the marathon, he missed by 46 minutes. The second time, by four. A week later, he set the record.
He's the father of seven, including quintuplets born at 27 weeks who were given little chance of survival. He has a master's degree in experimental psychology and taught at San Jose State University for five years.
He'll tell you the records were never the point. Please welcome Chad Kempel.
Conferences and adult audiences
Our speaker today has been on TODAY, Good Morning America, and ABC World News Tonight. Mario Lopez talked about him on Access Hollywood. He traded jokes with Jay Leno on national TV. He's been written up in People, Men's Health, and Runner's World.
He holds four Guinness World Records titles, and he set every one of them pushing his kids in a stroller. The first time he tried the marathon, he missed by 46 minutes. The second time, by four. A week later, he set the record.
He's the father of seven, including quintuplets born at 27 weeks who were given little chance of survival. He has a master's in experimental psychology and taught at San Jose State University for five years.
He'll tell you the records were never the point. Please welcome Chad Kempel.
Talks
Each stands alone. Full descriptions are on the speaker one-sheet.
- Anything Is Possible
- The flagship assembly. A phrase most students roll their eyes at, rebuilt as a decision followed by evidence.
- The Weight You're Carrying
- Mental health, taught plainly. Gives students words for what they feel and a tool to use with it.
- I Walked the Hallways Alone
- Belonging and school culture. No records and no stroller, only what it takes to notice the kid standing by himself.
Getting it right
Details that often get reported wrong.
- Records were set, not brokenChad was the first to hold each of these titles. There was no previous record to break.
- Guinness World Records, with the SThe organization's name is plural. "4x Guinness World Records title holder" is correct.
- Stroller weight depends on the eventAbout 200 lbs for the 2019 marathon and 10K, about 240 lbs for the 2022 half marathon, and 301 lbs for the 2023 1K. The 300-pound figure applies only to the 1K.
- The twins were born aliveMarshall and Spencer were born at 22 weeks, held by Chad and Amy, and died shortly after birth. It was not a miscarriage.
- The quintuplets were conceived through IUIIntrauterine insemination, not IVF.
- LocationBoise, Idaho for datelines and listings. The family lives in Eagle, a Boise suburb, where the 1K record was set.
Photos
Free to use with editorial coverage of Chad Kempel. No resale or advertising use. Credit as noted under each photo. Questions about any other use, or need a size that isn't here? Email chad@chadkempel.com. More photos of the records, the stroller and the family are on the photos page.
Photo: Jason Foy Photography
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Photo: Jason Foy Photography
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Photo: Jason Foy Photography
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Photo: Jason Foy Photography
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Photo: Jason Foy Photography
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Photo: Jason Foy Photography
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Eagle High School track, Eagle, Idaho
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Marathon, 10K, half marathon, 1K
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Marathon, 10K, half marathon, 1K
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Oakland Running Festival, California
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Modesto Marathon, California
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Garden City, Idaho
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Photographed before shipping to Guinness World Records
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Photographed before shipping to Guinness World Records
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The first use of the sign, made for his father
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Eagle, Idaho, July 29, 2023
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2018
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July 12, 2025
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What others have said
Free to quote with attribution to the original broadcast or publication.
- David Muir, ABC World News Tonight"The dad and the quintuplets setting a world record are persons of the week." Watch
- Hoda Kotb, TODAY"240 pounds of toddlers. We each have two and we can barely push those." Watch
- Mario Lopez, Access Hollywood"That's a dad who knows how to multitask right there. Respect."
- Jay Leno, You Bet Your Life"Wow. A full marathon? Pushing them the whole time? Wow. Yow. That's pretty amazing." About the episode
- Savannah Guthrie, TODAY"I still really can't even get my head around this story." Watch
- Guinness World Records"Chad takes the definition of 'super dad' to another level." Read
- Travis Stork, MD, The Doctors"I'm gonna call you crazy Chad, but in a good way. Like crazy good." Watch
- Elizabeth Grow, Love What Matters"Chad doesn't run on reason. Their family runs on faith." Read
- Amy Kempel, in People"He truly is a great dad. He's very loving and devoted to them. Family means a lot to him." Read
- Amy Kempel, in Men's Health"His motto is 'anything is possible.' And what I love is that our children, from a very young age, will know that." Read
From the classroom
From his teaching evaluations at San Jose State University.
- Department chair, SJSU Psychology"Mr. Kempel has displayed a genuine commitment to improving student learning through the use of educational technology."
- Faculty peer observer, SJSU"I also loved that he considers the financial needs of students."
- Faculty peer observer, SJSU"Very respectful interactions; asked students not only to think critically about the theory's contribution, but also asked about how much they liked the theory, which was a nice touch."
- Faculty peer observer, SJSU online course"Mr. Kempel created a structured and user-friendly online course." And: "…it was clear that Mr. Kempel created a safe and respectful learning environment."
- Student, Elementary Statistics"Honestly one of the best instructors I've encountered thus far."
- Student, Elementary Statistics"This is probably the most approachable person I've had so far that it feels like talking to a friend."
- Student, Elementary Statistics"He expresses his want for every student to pass because of how difficult this class was for himself when he was in college."
- Student, Elementary Statistics"He knows what he is talking about and makes hard material not seem so hard."
Verification and coverage
The four record titles in the Guinness World Records database, followed by independent reporting.
Official records
- Guinness World RecordsFastest marathon pushing a quintuple pram (male)
- Guinness World RecordsMarathon and 10K records, 2020 feature
- Guinness World RecordsFastest 10 km pushing a quintuple pram (male)
- Guinness World RecordsFastest half marathon pushing a quintuple pram (male)
- Guinness World RecordsFastest 1 km pushing a quintuple pram (male)
Selected coverage
- TODAYHalf marathon record, 2022
- Good Morning AmericaHalf marathon record, 2022
- Men's HealthA 2:19 half marathon pushing five kids, 2022
- Men's HealthMarathon record, 2021
- Runner's WorldMarathon pushing quintuplets, 2019
- Canadian RunningStroller record
- PeopleHalf marathon record, 2022
- UPI1K record, 2023
- New York PostMarathon record video
- The IndependentThe family's full story, 2018
- The WeekHalf marathon record, 2022
- Idaho PressHalf marathon record, 2022
- KTVU FOX 2Oakland half marathon, 2022
- The Mercury NewsQuintuplets' birth, 2018
- KTVB BoiseHalf marathon record, 2022
- KIVI Idaho News 6Half marathon record, 2022
- Idaho PressTreasure Valley Spotlight profile, 2022
- Love What MattersFull family story, 2022
Television: TODAY, Good Morning America, ABC World News Tonight (Person of the Week), You Bet Your Life with Jay Leno, The Doctors, Pickler & Ben, Inside Edition.
Contact
Media and interview requests: chad@chadkempel.com
Booking inquiries: use the booking form.
Background: full resume, what’s on LinkedIn, and speaking in California.