Dad-to-be runs weekly with baby-sized fruit to celebrate growing baby
One run, one fruit, one step closer to meeting their baby girl. For Sebastiaan, every stride is a celebration of fatherhood, love, and the little miracle growing week by week.
Ruimsig — When mom-to-be and avid runner reached her 50th parkrun milestone, she turned to her partner, Sebastiaan Burger, and said, “Why don’t you run with this week’s fruit?”
That light-hearted suggestion sparked a uniquely beautiful tradition – each week, Sebastiaan runs while carrying the fruit or vegetable that represents the size of their growing baby girl.
It all began at 15 weeks, when the baby was the size of an avocado.
“This was the birth of our own unique celebration of our gift,” Sebastiaan says. Since then, he’s hit the pavement each week, fruit or vegetable in hand – grapes, cabbage, lettuce – whatever the weekly tracker says matches baby’s size.
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But this isn’t just a fun stunt, it’s a meaningful way for Sebastiaan and his partner to connect.
“There are two sides to it,” he explains. “First, the anticipation of what the next fruit or vegetable will be. We chat about it, make jokes, and brainstorm a catchphrase together every week.”
Beyond the laughter, the ritual has brought Sebastiaan closer to the pregnancy experience.
“As dads, we don’t experience pregnancy like moms do,” he says.
“Talking about the size of the fruit each week gave me perspective on how much our baby grows. It made me feel more part of the journey.”
As the weeks go on, the runs get tougher. “In the beginning, it was easy,” Sebastiaan laughs. “But it’s become harder as the fruit got bigger and heavier. Running with a 3.5kg cabbage is no joke! And sometimes the items were fragile too, like grapes or lettuce.”
Still, for Sebastiaan and his partner, the weekly fruit run is a cherished highlight.
“This was by far the most fun we could have that was inclusive for both of us in the journey,” he says.
