Track & Field Mom Makes Big Announcement for Sydney Marathon at 8 Months Pregnant

The Sydney Marathon returns this Sunday, filling the city’s streets from Miller Street in North Sydney to the Opera House forecourt. Wheelchair athletes begin at 6:15 a.m., with runners starting at 6:30 a.m. The event regularly attracts both seasoned competitors and extraordinary personal stories. Among the most striking this year is the decision of a South Korean actress to enter the race while eight months pregnant, an effort that recalls the persistence of track and field mothers who have redefined what is possible in sport.

In recent years, figures such as Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Faith Kipyegon, and Allyson Felix have shown how motherhood and elite competition can coexist. Fraser-Pryce famously returned after a difficult pregnancy to win a 100-meter world title at age 32, describing it as “a victory for motherhood.” Kipyegon endured an emergency cesarean before reestablishing herself as one of the world’s greatest milers. Felix used her platform to speak about maternal health disparities after giving birth prematurely. Their examples frame a larger narrative of women sustaining both sport and family in demanding circumstances.

Into this tradition steps Lee Si-young, the 43-year-old actress best known in Korea for her dual career as an actress and one-time member of the national boxing team. Earlier this week, she told her followers, “I leave for Sydney today!!!! 🇦🇺😍💛✨ I’ve been doing pre-workout really hard (especially burning my lower body.. ❤️ 🔥❤️ 🔥❤️ 🔥). Been steady running too. I got permission from the midwife and the professor in charge!!” Lee explained that she will not attempt the marathon itself but the 10-kilometer race, emphasizing that she has prepared carefully and will be accompanied by a conditioning coach. She explained, “When Jung-yoon(her conditioning coach) was pregnant, she participated in half marathons three times. I’m participating in the Sydney 10km this time, not even a half, so I’m going to take part in the half.”

Her son, Jeong Hyuk, often appears in her accounts of training, travel, and recreation. He accompanies her on camping trips, where she recently described herself as “a pregnant mother🤰🏻 because of Jeong Hyuk who is so into camping😇😍❤️ 🔥.” She also recounted joining a 200-kilometer Harley-Davidson tour despite her condition, “I never expected to do a 200-kilometer long tour when I’m 7 months old: (Is it great to be pregnant with Harley??!!! 🇺🇸🫶🏻.” Beyond the physical challenges, she credits the presence of her younger brother, Jeongryun, whose encouragement she likened to the mindset of “a runner who goes on a full course of 42.195km.”

Lee’s story is unusual not only because of her decision to compete while pregnant but also because of her persistence in maintaining a demanding lifestyle that combines parenting, training, and outdoor exploration. By placing herself on the Sydney start line with the support of her family, she continues the broader story of women athletes who refuse to separate their professional or personal commitments from their athletic ambitions.

For Lee, the race will not be about finishing time or placement but about affirming what she wrote before leaving: “I’ve been working out really hard during my prenatal workouts… I’ll run lightly(?)😊 I’ll go for a run and come back???!!!” While Lee Si Young is doing it all while embracing motherhood, another grim picture too has made its way to the Sydney marathon. Evadne Janeke is running the Sydney Marathon to honor her late mother and raise funds for motor neurone disease research.

Daughter turns marathon miles into tribute for mother lost to motor neurone disease

When Evadne Janeke returned to the Sydney Marathon, the race carried a weight far beyond distance or endurance. In 2018, she had crossed its finish line only to learn her mother, Maxine Hobday, had died after an unrelenting struggle with Motor Neurone Disease. Years later, she chose to lace her shoes once more, not simply to compete but to turn her grief into support for those still confronting the same illness that had claimed her mother’s life.

Her way of carrying her mother forward had first taken shape in a small act of preservation. Maxine, who quickly lost her ability to speak, had written a few words on a postcard before her hands failed her as well. “My littlest hobo,” she inscribed, a phrase that became etched permanently on her daughter’s skin. “I know her handwriting is kind of the only thing we’ve really got left,” Evadne explained. The tattoo became more than a tribute. It was the last direct link to her mother’s voice and presence, a reminder carried daily as she prepared for each mile.

Now, as more than 35,000 runners prepare for the 2025 Sydney Marathon, Evadne will be dedicating her race to fundraising for MND research and support. Together with her siblings, who committed to running marathons in the United Kingdom, she gathered contributions for the Bristol and Bath Group for MND, the organization that had supported their family in her mother’s final months. “You would not wish it on your worst enemy,” she said of the disease, her steps on race day aimed at both remembrance and progress. The marathon, once linked with loss, will become her stage for solidarity, advocacy, and an enduring bond between daughter and mother.