Pregnant Runner Completes Boston Marathon at 22 Weeks

Running a marathon is hard enough, but doing it while carrying a baby might sound impossible to most people.

British Olympic runner Calli Hauger-Thackery proved otherwise on Monday when she completed the Boston Marathon at 22 weeks pregnant. The 33-year-old from Sheffield crossed the finish line in 2 hours and 43 minutes, over 20 minutes slower than her personal best but infinitely more meaningful.

"I'm grateful that I got through that today," Hauger-Thackery told BBC Sport. "To do it this far into pregnancy, I'm super grateful."

The race didn't go smoothly at first. At mile five, a trapped nerve in her glute left her dragging her right leg and rushing to the medical tent for treatment. She needed another stop at mile 11 for the same issue, plus two bathroom breaks before the halfway point.

"There were many times before mile 13 I did not think I was going to finish that race," she admitted. But the second half felt completely different, like her body found its rhythm and she felt "a million dollars."

This isn't even Hauger-Thackery's first pregnant marathon. She actually won the Honolulu Marathon in December without knowing she was pregnant, blaming vomiting on the course to the hot weather. On Christmas Eve, she and her husband Nick discovered the real reason. She went on to win the Houston Marathon at eight weeks pregnant in January.

The couple decided to start a family after Calli didn't finish the Chicago Marathon in October. With no major outdoor championships this year and having already competed at the Commonwealth Games, the timing made perfect sense. "If we do it this year, I'll have a two-year-old for the Olympics," she explained.

Why This Inspires

Hauger-Thackery holds joint second fastest marathon time for a British woman and won bronze in the half marathon at the 2024 European Athletics Championships. Yet she calls running while pregnant "a different kind of hard" and more meaningful than any of those achievements.

"It's given me more purpose than ever before," she said. Her doctors fully support her decision, and modern research increasingly shows benefits to continuing exercise during pregnancy for athletes whose bodies are accustomed to it.

She's following in the footsteps of running legends like Paula Radcliffe, Liz McColgan, and Sonia O'Sullivan, who all balanced motherhood with elite running careers. Some people "behind the keyboard" have left negative comments, but Hauger-Thackery doesn't let them get to her. "I know my body and I know what's right for me," she said.

The support from fellow runners, spectators, and loved ones has been "really nice and special" throughout her journey. She's showing that athletes can be both mothers and champions, inspiring a new generation to believe in their own strength.