Calli Hauger-Thackery completes Boston Marathon while pregnant
British Olympic athlete Calli Hauger-Thackery completed the Boston Marathon whilst 22 weeks pregnant, crossing the finish line in 2 hours and 43 minutes, reports BritPanorama.
The 33-year-old Sheffield runner, who finished sixth in the same race last year with a time of 2:22:38, described the experience as “incredible” and “more meaningful” than her previous athletic accomplishments.
However, the race was far from straightforward for Hauger-Thackery, who encountered significant physical difficulties in the opening miles. A trapped nerve in her glute forced her into the medical tent at mile five, leaving her struggling to lift her right leg properly.
“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. I was like: ‘Guys, is there anything you can do?’” she said. Fortunately, medical staff were able to assist her, allowing her to continue.
Despite the challenges, she described the second half of the race as “flawless” and felt “a million dollars” as she found her rhythm. Hauger-Thackery had first discovered she was pregnant after winning the Honolulu Marathon in December, attributing some discomfort during that race to the heat.
“I joked to Nick, my husband, and said: ‘Imagine if it is morning sickness,’” she recalled, explaining they learned the truth on Christmas Eve. She later won the Houston Marathon in January whilst eight weeks pregnant, finding it “probably the hardest marathon” due to competing seriously in her first trimester.
The decision to start a family came after failing to finish the Chicago Marathon in October, with Hauger-Thackery and her husband Nick, who also serves as her coach, agreeing it was “a perfect year” to pursue parenthood. Her career includes notable achievements, such as holding the joint-second-fastest British women’s marathon time alongside Charlotte Purdue, behind only Paula Radcliffe, as well as a bronze medal in the women’s half-marathon at the 2024 European Athletics Championships.
“If we do it this year, I’ll have a two-year-old for the Olympics,” she noted, indicating a thoughtful approach to balancing her family and professional aspirations.
The athlete emphasized that running marathons during pregnancy carries greater significance than her previous accomplishments. “It’s a different kind of hard, for sure, than what I’ve ever done, a lot harder than the European medals or these other things that I’ve achieved,” she explained. “But in a different way, in a more meaningful way, and I think it’s just given me more purpose than ever before.”
It’s a compelling reminder of how personal journeys intertwine with athletic feats, shaping the narrative of sport in unexpected ways.
