In 2011, when Amber Miller finished the Chicago Marathon at 38 weeks pregnant in about 6 hours and 25 minutes, she started having contractions and, shortly after, gave birth later that same day. At the time, it surprised many people and even made some uneasy, seeing the risk involved. Now, 16 years later, similar stories are once again happening at the Boston Marathon, where two pregnant runners took part in the 26.2-mile race and sent a bold message about what athletes are capable of.

One of them was Calli Hauger-Thackery, who is a British Olympian and bronze medalist in the women’s half-marathon at the 2024 European Athletics Championships. On April 20, she completed the Boston Marathon in under three hours while 22 weeks pregnant with her first child due at the end of August.

Hauger-Thackery reflected on the moment post-race, saying, “Five and a half months pregnant so, it was crazy.” But the experience was not easy.

Hauger-Thackery called it the “hardest thing we’ve ever done. But I’m so happy…It feels so good, and I’m tired.”

Early on, Hauger-Thackery’s right glute tightened around mile five, which forced her into a medical tent where staff treated her before she continued. Subsequently, the issue recurred later in the race, prompting another stop and treatment with freeze gel, after which she was able to run comfortably again.

“I had to dash into the medical tent because I had this crazy trapped nerve.”

“I genuinely couldn’t even pick up my right leg properly. I was dragging it and I was like, oh no, this is not good and this is mile five.”

Eventually, her finishing time of 2:43:58 included two quick medical stops and bathroom breaks. Interestingly, she had run the same race in 2025 in 2:22:38. Nevertheless, this year’s performance was slower on paper, yet far more complex in reality.

“The second half was flawless,” she said, while calling the first half “absolutely chaos.” Nevertheless, she concluded very well with 1:23:10 splits and 1:20:48.

In addition, her doctors encouraged her to keep racing and monitored her training, offering calm reassurance rather than concern. Hauger-Thackery, who has competed since the age of 12, said staying active and maintaining goals supported her mental well-being during pregnancy. She had also been performing at a high level earlier in the year, winning marathons both before and after learning she was pregnant.

But she was not the only one making an impression, as another US runner also took part in the same Boston Marathon while pregnant.

Marathon Runners turn life’s biggest setbacks into strength

A Utah woman, 5.5 months pregnant, ran the Boston Marathon alongside her sister, Savannah, turning the race into something far beyond competition. “We had to show her,” her sister said, adding that when they say “run like a girl,” this is exactly what they mean. After finishing the race, the runner described the moment in simple, emotional words:

“I feel so good and tired and all the emotions. I’m so excited. We did this today,” capturing both exhaustion and joy at the same time. At the same time, the same race carried another powerful story through Jennifer Capone Haberek, 36, who ran the Boston Marathon as a charity runner linked to the Ellie Fund, a cancer support organization. Her journey into the race was not just about running, but about survival and recovery.

She was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer in 2024, at a moment when life was already full. At that time, she had a 10-month-old son and was also eight months pregnant with her daughter. During that time, she went through chemotherapy while pregnant, along with close medical monitoring because of treatment risks, followed by planned delivery arrangements. Later, after giving birth, she also underwent surgery, and although she is now cancer-free.

Taken together, these stories from the same Boston Marathon show how differently people arrive at the same start line.