Running News Daily

On the morning of August 27, Allison Baca was greeted by a foreboding gloom at the trailhead beneath 13,229-foot Mount Audubon, in Colorado. She decided to give her objective a shot anyway, planning to turn around if the weather went from gloom to doom. 

With her partner Tony, she had blocked off this date on the calendar weeks in advance as her chance to spend all morning in the mountains, chasing history on the iconic Pawnee-Buchanan Loop above Boulder. Those free mornings were extra special. Free time has been much harder to find on the calendar since she became a mom last year.

On March 26, 2021, she gave birth to her first child, Mateo. The 17 months since then have been a journey, full of ups and downs that only a parent can truly understand (as a soon-to-be first-time dad, I have watched enough preparing-for-baby videos to understand that I won't understand the chaos until I live it). 

Something about that journey made Allison even more unstoppable on the trails. So she went into the mountains with confidence . . . and also some time constraints. 

Pawnee-Buchanan is a 27-mile route with 7,000 feet of climbing over technical mountain terrain. Ever since Anton Krupicka first reset what was possible in 2010 by running 4:50, Boulder trail runners have taken their cracks at the route, with plenty of cracked ankles and broken spirits to show for it. The women's record stood at 5:34, set by stellar athlete Emily Caldwell. Challenging that time would require speed and technical proficiency. But most of all, it would require strength. Luckily, over the previous 17 months, Allison had honed a new skill that she'd be taking with her: Mom Strength.

Over the 27 miles, she fought through vicious wind gusts in remote wilderness, with enough ups and downs to ruin any quad muscle. Her final time? An astounding 5 hours and 5 minutes. Allison beat her goals and made history. "It was exciting to finish the loop and realize that I was able to run faster than I had ever imagined starting the day!" she said.

When asked about how pregnancy and motherhood changed her as an athlete leading up to the performance, she paused. In that pause, I sensed a weight that someone can only feel when they have lived through the shit, for better and for worse, and are trying to summarize something messy into something neat.

"Motherhood has given me more of an identity outside of running," Allison said. "Sports used to be my identity, and they still are a part of my identity, but they are not everything. If a run doesn't go well, I used to dwell on it. Now there isn't time to dwell-I need to bring my best mom-self through the front door after good or bad runs. My life feels more well-rounded, and it can be exhausting. But I think it helps my running."

The journey was full of that uncertain chaos, and very few parenting journeys are as tidy as they can seem from the outside. For Allison, it all led to a mind-blowing FKT performance, and I think there's a strong argument that it's one of the best "FKTs of the Year" in the whole world. We can't be sure what propelled her to such a historic performance-it's some combination of talent, toughness, training, and intangibles. 

But based on a study that was just released, I think we can draw one certain conclusion about at least one of those intangibles. For some athletes, Mom Strength can be a superpower even when it comes with some mom exhaustion. 

Study Overview

The study was published online ahead of print in August 2022 in the Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise Journal, reviewing training and performance trajectories of 42 elite runners during and after pregnancy. The author list was a who's who of top researchers: Francine Darroch, Amy Schneeberg, Ryan Brodie, Zachary Ferraro, Dylan Wykes, Sarita Hira, Audrey Giles, Kristi Adamo, and Trent Stellingwerff. The superstar team tackled a big, thorny topic that is usually full of whispers and innuendo, rather than data. 

Leaving the world of anecdotes and wishful thinking behind, what does pregnancy actually do to athletes?

Let's get straight to the fascinating finding: athletes "who intended to return to high-level competition did so at a statistically similar level of performance in the 1 to 3-year period post-pregnancy." But there's something even more exciting. A whopping 46% of these elite athletes improved performances post-pregnancy. 

A baby does not mean an athlete has to press stop and rewind. Those little poop machines sometimes just require a brief slow-down, followed by fast-forwarding to the best part of the show. It's complicated, though, and everyone is different. 

In interpreting the study, I'll try to highlight just how different it shows that every journey can be, even if those complications might not make the headlines.

Study Context

The study was such a massive leap into the unknown because it was the first of its kind. As the authors said, "we are unaware of any previous study with significant participant numbers that has systematically and statistically investigated directly published quantitative performance outcomes before and after pregnancy." 

A 2019 study in BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine had completed a pregnancy questionnaire and interview with 34 elite athletes and compared that to a control group, finding no differences in pregnancy outcomes or returns to full activity. That study didn't look at long-term training or performance levels, so the 2022 study is really talking about venturing into a new research frontier.

To explore that frontier, the research team set some constraints. They would be gathering data on an athlete's first pregnancy only. In addition, the participants would be elite athletes, with times equivalent to a 2:46 marathon or faster in events 1,500 meters and up. The participants received a 139-question survey on training during and after pregnancy, completed with data from their training logs. 35 of the 42 athletes had performance times from the 1 to 3 years before birth on the World Athletics website, and those times were compared with postpartum results.

What a cool study design! By focusing on elite athletes, the researchers set up a tough hurdle to jump. Participants had already been striving to optimize their performances, so how does pregnancy affect optimization? It seems suboptimal to have a body's processes taken over by an ever-growing parasite for 10 months, right? Wrong, of course. The study results demonstrated the complexities of long-term performance, since many of the athletes actually got faster than before.

Study Findings

First, 57% of athletes reported conceiving during a period of decreased training load, with 24% intentionally decreasing training around conception. That may show that some athletes think that elite training is less conducive to conception, or that athletes focus on family planning during a break from competition.

Second, during pregnancy, athletes decreased training load from pre-pregnancy levels. They ran significantly fewer sessions, dropping from 9 per week to 5 per week, and the proportion of intensity decreased. Running volume decreased to 64-73% of pre-pregnancy in the first trimester, 49-54% in the second trimester, and 29-36% in third trimester, with more cross training toward the end of pregnancy than the beginning. Running paces slowed significantly, up to 23% in the third trimester. But athletes still averaged significantly more training than recommended by international exercise guidelines for pregnant people.

Third, after pregnancy, participants averaged 6 weeks off running and 3 weeks off cross training. They returned to 80% of pre-pregnancy loads at 14 weeks postpartum. The error bars on those numbers were large, showing substantial inter-individual variability. 

After pregnancy, athletes raced less, dropping from 7.2 races per year to 2.8 races per year in the year after pregnancy, increasing to 4.4 races per year in the 3 to 5 years postpartum. But what's so exciting is what they did with those races.

Performance Findings

60% of the participants planned to return to pre-pregnancy levels or greater. This cohort saw no change in performance levels. Most exciting of all, "Nearly half of the athletes (46%) had better IAAF performance scores in the 1- to-2 years post-pregnancy than during the two years before birth." 

While those numbers are exciting and hopeful, they are a bit more complex than they might seem at first glance. What about the 54% of athletes who didn't improve in the 2 years after pregnancy, despite intending to? What about the stories that aren't leading off running articles like this one? That's where the discussion gets a bit more complicated.

Pregnancy and Performance

In the discussions around pregnancy and training, I think we often seek simple narratives. I'm looking squarely in the mirror when I say that. 

To start this article, I framed pregnancy as a potential superpower, which it clearly is not for everyone. While there are examples of athletes coming back stronger than ever, like Allison, there are many stories of athletes that really struggle to train during and after pregnancy. Some of those athletes never reach the same levels again, and those stories need to be told too.

As the authors say, "the limited data do not appear to support pregnancy as ergogenic for any physiological variables." Thus, the process of pregnancy alone is unlikely to be a performance enhancer. But as the study found, it can coincide with improvements in performance in many athletes, even elite athletes that were already pushing their training limits. 

Headline: WOW, that is so exciting and hopeful!

Subheading: HOWEVER, it's often so scary and uncertain.

The hopeful data need to be understood in conjunction with the negative outcomes, too. I have been fortunate to coach many athletes through and beyond pregnancy, including Allison. I was excited to tell Allison's story because she is, well, a badass, and it can be motivating to have these uplifting models of Mom Strength. This study showed that intention to return at higher levels than before pregnancy was a key element in actually returning and exceeding to those levels, so I want to support a system of all-caps BELIEF that lets an athlete know it's possible.

But it won't happen for everyone. If 46% of athletes had better performance scores in the 2 years post-pregnancy than 2 years pre-birth, that means 54% did not. Those 54% may go much faster at Year-3 or Year-5 or Year-10, and I imagine each of those data points on both sides of the improvement curve involve stories of joy and sadness that are rarely told publicly. 

This study showed that intention to return at higher levels than before pregnancy was a key element in actually returning and exceeding to those levels, so I want to support a system of all-caps BELIEF that lets an athlete know it's possible.

The authors highlight the complexity and those stories. "Our results may reflect a shift in the broader athletics culture and wider acceptance that individuals continue to compete at an elite level, and some possibly at a higher level than they did pre-pregnancy." 

An athlete like Megan doesn't neatly fit into this study. Yes, she's elite. But she hasn't been able to train through pregnancy. Yes, she hasn't gotten injured. But it's tough to get injured when reading at the creek, outside of papercuts. And yes, she intends to come back stronger and faster than ever. But it's not a choice.

If anyone can do it, though, it's Megan. This study adds a few cups to the hope bucket, for her and other athletes going through the pregnancy process. That is so exciting! And it still doesn't change the fact that many of the stories around pregnancy won't be as neat and simple as the caption of this article implies.

I know one thing for sure: Megan is the strongest person I have ever met. Whether she runs faster in the future or not, well, that's out of her control, though I think she and other athletes can be full of realistic, pragmatic hope. 

Either way, I am popping some popcorn for the show ahead. Megan is so damn strong. Now just imagine what she can accomplish in life with Mom Strength.

"Taken together, these findings indicate that childbirth can be a positive part of an elite athlete's career; the forced break may have both mental and physical benefits. Additionally, our own previous research has shown that a focus on motherhood and shifting priorities may alleviate some of the stress placed on performance outcomes particularly when athletes have strong social support and childcare."

Included in those few sentences are likely thousands of stories that the researchers know about, but aren't fit to print in an academic journal. Allison's journey has been scary and non-linear at times, and her specific stories are not mine to tell. The same goes for most journeys during and beyond pregnancy.

Some athletes get faster. Some get slower. Some love the evolving process of balancing motherhood and athletics. Some cry themselves to sleep from the weight of it all. Some bodies and brains thrive, others live through tough times that only a few loved ones might ever know about. Most mix all of those feelings and fears together at one time or another.

The Uncertainty

All of those stories are equally valid. I wrote this article now because my wife/co-coach Megan is 30 weeks pregnant with our first child. She's one of the best athletes in the world, with 5 national championships and dozens of course records that boggle the mind. But a couple months before conception, she felt chest pain that turned out to be a heart condition. She has barely exercised during pregnancy, her 20-mile runs replaced by daily trips to the creek where we read books and nature bathe. It has been a simultaneously beautiful and scary process so far, and I imagine that's not going to stop anytime soon.

Patrick Dever returns to the streets of New York City on Sunday with unfinished business, renewed confidence and a much bigger target on the horizon.

The 30-year-old Brit made an immediate impression on his marathon debut at last year’s New York City Marathon, crossing the line in 2:08:58 for what was initially recorded as fourth place. His result was later upgraded to third following Albert Korir’s five-year ban after anti-doping violations, giving Dever a podium finish on one of the world’s most demanding marathon stages.

But Dever has since shown that his potential stretches far beyond that breakthrough performance.

In April, he produced a major personal best of 2:06:18 at the London Marathon, elevating himself to third on the United Kingdom’s all-time marathon list. Only Mo Farah, with 2:05:11, and Mahamed Mahamed, with 2:06:14, have run faster for Britain.

Now, Dever heads back to New York with another opportunity to test how far he has progressed.

The challenge will be particularly valuable because New York offers a very different racing environment from London. There will be no pacemakers to dictate the rhythm, meaning Dever will have to rely on his own tactical judgement, positioning and ability to respond when the race begins to unfold.

That is exactly the kind of experience he wants.

With the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games firmly in his long-term sights, Dever is using New York as an opportunity to sharpen his ability to race in a championship-style environment, where athletes must make their own decisions rather than simply follow a predetermined pace.

For a runner with ambitions of representing Great Britain on the Olympic stage, those lessons could prove invaluable.

New York is also a race that demands patience. The course features bridges, rolling terrain and a notoriously difficult final stretch through Central Park, making it less about simply chasing a fast time and more about executing a complete marathon.

Dever already knows what it takes to succeed there. This time, however, he returns as a significantly faster and more accomplished marathoner.

A year after announcing himself on the New York streets, the British star arrives with a 2:06:18 personal best, a place among Britain’s fastest marathoners and an Olympic dream that is beginning to look increasingly realistic.

The question now is whether Dever can turn that progress into another standout performance in the Big Apple. 

Andreas Almgren is about to discover just how far his extraordinary speed can carry him.

On Sunday, November 1, the Swedish star will line up for the TCS New York City Marathon, stepping into completely unfamiliar territory as he makes his highly anticipated marathon debut over 42.195 kilometres.

But Almgren is not arriving in New York as an ordinary debutant.

He comes armed with an extraordinary résumé. The Swede is the reigning world half-marathon champion, the 2026 European 10,000m champion and the European half-marathon record holder after producing a sensational 58:06 in Copenhagen.

That performance elevated the conversation surrounding his marathon potential. Running 58:06 means Almgren can sustain an average pace of roughly 2:45 per kilometre for 21.1 kilometres—a frightening level of speed for an athlete preparing to double the distance.

Only weeks earlier, he had produced another major statement by winning European 10,000m gold in Birmingham in a championship-record 27:23.44. His ability to combine elite track speed with increasingly impressive endurance has made him one of the most intriguing distance runners in the world.

Yet Almgren's journey to the marathon has been anything but conventional.

He originally made his name as an 800m specialist, running a personal best of 1:45.59 before gradually transforming himself into a world-class long-distance athlete. The transition from two laps of the track to 42.195 kilometres represents an enormous change in physiological demands, but Almgren has embraced the challenge with remarkable ambition.

His preparation has reportedly included extremely high mileage, with his training volume reaching around 135 miles, or 217 kilometres, per week during parts of his build-up. He has also spent time training at altitude in Flagstaff, Arizona, as he prepares his body for the demands of the marathon.

What makes Almgren particularly fascinating is not only his athletic ability but also his analytical approach to the sport. The Swede has a background in data science and is known for taking a highly methodical approach to his training, using data and analysis to help shape his preparation.

That combination of brains, speed and endurance has earned him the nickname “The Nerd King.”

But New York will ask questions that no training spreadsheet can fully answer.

The marathon is a different beast, and the New York course is an especially unforgiving place to make a debut. The bridges, hills, sharp turns and tactical racing can punish even experienced marathoners, while the absence of traditional pacemakers means Almgren will have to judge the race himself.

That could make his decision to debut in New York even more intriguing.

Rather than choosing a flat, fast course designed purely for record chasing, Almgren has chosen one of the world's most iconic and demanding marathon stages. He will be surrounded by established marathon stars, including Abdi Nageeye, Benson Kipruto and Geoffrey Kamworor, giving the Swedish newcomer an immediate test against athletes with years of experience over the distance.

Still, Almgren is not approaching the race simply as a learning experience.

His ambition is clear. He wants to compete at the front and believes he can fight for victory.

His 58:06 half-marathon performance inevitably invites speculation about what he might eventually achieve over 42.195 kilometres. However, converting a half-marathon time directly into a marathon prediction is far from straightforward. The second half of the marathon is where endurance, fueling, pacing and accumulated fatigue become decisive, and New York adds another layer of difficulty.

That is the great unknown surrounding Almgren.

Can a man who once specialised in the 800m carry his extraordinary speed through 35 kilometres, 40 kilometres and finally into Central Park?

Can his analytical approach compensate for the lack of marathon racing experience?

And can his remarkable 58:06 half-marathon form translate into a winning marathon debut?

Those questions will finally be answered on Sunday.

From a 1:45 800m specialist to European 10,000m champion, world half-marathon champion and European half-marathon record holder, Almgren has already reinvented himself several times.

Now, the “Nerd King” is taking on the marathon.

And New York is waiting to find out just how far his speed, endurance and ambition can carry him. 

A bizarre and deeply concerning scene at the Zhengzhou Marathon in China has sparked widespread debate over athlete safety and race regulations after a runner was filmed completing the event while a nine-year-old boy was attached to him by a rope.

The incident occurred during Sunday’s marathon in Henan province, where videos shared across Chinese social media appeared to show the adult runner moving along the course with the child secured around his waist. In several clips, the pair could be seen running together for extended periods, apparently maintaining the same pace as they made their way through the race.

The unusual arrangement quickly attracted attention from spectators and fellow participants, with concerns raised over the child’s safety and whether the runner had breached the competition’s entry regulations.

Under the rules governing marathon participation in China, children below the minimum age are not permitted to compete in a full marathon. Such restrictions are designed to protect young participants from the extreme physical demands of long-distance racing and the potential medical risks associated with running 42.195 kilometres.

Organizers subsequently took disciplinary action. The runner’s result was removed from the official classification, and he was handed a three-year ban from competitions covered by the relevant sanctioning authority. The decision was based on the age violation as well as concerns over the physical risks created by having the child attached to him throughout the race.

Later footage reportedly showed the boy appearing fatigued, adding further concern to an incident that had already generated strong reactions among runners and spectators. No injury to the child was reported.

The case has nevertheless raised important questions about how mass-participation races can better monitor participants once they enter the course. While age checks and bib verification can prevent an underage participant from officially registering, unusual situations during the race can present a different challenge for organizers and medical teams.

China’s marathon scene has expanded rapidly in recent years, with major road races attracting huge numbers of recreational runners. With that growth has come an increasing emphasis on safety, proper race conduct and strict adherence to participation rules.

What happened in Zhengzhou has therefore become more than an unusual moment captured on camera. It is a reminder that marathon regulations are ultimately designed not simply to protect the integrity of race results, but also to protect the people taking part.

For the banned runner, the three-year suspension now serves as a serious consequence. For the wider running community, the incident has renewed the conversation about responsibility, supervision and safety whenever children are involved in endurance events.

On a night when the world expected the spotlight to fall on the established stars, Wayde van Niekerk stepped into the shadows of lane eight and produced one of the greatest 400m performances athletics has ever witnessed.

The stage was the 2016 Rio Olympic final. The field was stacked with proven champions, including Grenada’s Kirani James, the reigning Olympic champion, and American LaShawn Merritt, the 2008 Olympic champion. Van Niekerk had already announced himself as a serious contender, but few could have predicted what was about to unfold.

From the outside lane, the South African exploded from the blocks and attacked the race with extraordinary speed. Running virtually alone around the final bend, he maintained his relentless pace into the home straight while the rest of the field fought desperately to close the gap.

They never caught him.

Van Niekerk crossed the finish line in 43.03 seconds, winning Olympic gold and rewriting the history of the 400m. In one breathtaking performance, he lowered Michael Johnson’s legendary 43.18-second world record, set in 1999, by 0.15 seconds.

Johnson’s mark had survived for 17 years. Then, in less than 44 seconds, Van Niekerk erased it.

His victory also carried another remarkable distinction: he became the first athlete to win the Olympic men’s 400m title from lane eight, turning what many considered an unfavourable position into the setting for an unforgettable piece of sporting history.

What made the performance even more extraordinary was the manner in which it happened. Van Niekerk was not surrounded by the visual advantage of the middle lanes. He could not easily see his closest rivals. Instead, he had to trust his preparation, his rhythm and his own belief from the first step to the last.

That is perhaps what makes the Rio performance resonate so strongly even years later. It was more than a world record and an Olympic title. It was a reminder that greatness does not always announce itself from the obvious position. Sometimes, the athlete furthest from the spotlight is the one who ends up changing the sport forever.

Van Niekerk’s 43.03 seconds remains one of the most iconic marks in athletics history, a performance born from speed, courage and extraordinary execution.

And now, years after that unforgettable night in Rio, one question continues to fascinate the athletics world:

Is Van Niekerk’s legendary 43.03 finally vulnerable? 

With a new generation of 400m stars pushing the boundaries of human speed, the chase for that historic mark remains one of the most intriguing storylines in the sport.

Who do you believe has what it takes to finally break Wayde van Niekerk’s 43.03-second masterpiece? 

Hellen Obiri vs Sheila Chepkirui in New York City — round three. 

The streets of New York are preparing for another fascinating chapter in a growing Kenyan marathon rivalry, as two of the last three winners of the TCS New York City Marathon return to the Big Apple for another showdown on Sunday.

Obiri arrives as the defending champion and one of the biggest names in the elite women’s field, while Chepkirui returns determined to reclaim the title she won in 2024. Their recent history in New York has already produced two dramatically different outcomes, setting the stage for another potentially unforgettable battle.

Chepkirui announced herself on the New York stage in 2024 by producing a breakthrough performance to win her first TCS New York City Marathon title in 2:24:35. Obiri, who had won the race the previous year in 2:27:23, finished runner-up in 2:24:49 — just 14 seconds behind her fellow Kenyan.

But Obiri responded in emphatic fashion twelve months later. In the 2025 edition, she produced a sensational performance to win in 2:19:51, smashing the previous course record and becoming a two-time New York champion. Sharon Lokedi finished second in 2:20:07, while Chepkirui placed third in 2:20:24.

Now they meet again, with the balance of power once more up for debate.

Obiri has plenty of momentum behind her. Earlier this year, she lowered her marathon personal best to 2:15:53 when she finished second at the 2026 London Marathon, establishing herself as the fastest woman entered in this year’s New York field.

Chepkirui, however, is far from an outsider. Her 2:17:29 personal best makes her one of the strongest challengers in the field, and her victory over Obiri in New York two years ago is proof that she has the strength, patience and tactical ability to thrive on one of marathon running’s most demanding courses.

For Obiri, the motivation goes beyond simply defending her crown. A third New York victory would elevate her into the exclusive company of three-time champions, alongside the legendary Paula Radcliffe. After winning in 2023 and again in 2025, Obiri now has another opportunity to add her name to one of the race’s most prestigious lists.

Yet Chepkirui knows exactly what it takes to defeat her. She has already stood on top of the podium in New York, and after finishing third behind Obiri last year, she will have every reason to believe she can reverse the order once again.

The race itself could make their battle even more intriguing. New York’s five-borough course, bridges, hills and notoriously unpredictable tactics rarely allow the marathon to unfold like a straightforward time trial. Every surge and every decision could become decisive as the runners make their way toward the final miles and the iconic finish in Central Park.

Two Kenyan champions. Two recent New York winners. One course that has already witnessed them trade victories.

Obiri wants history. Chepkirui wants revenge.

And when the battle reaches the streets of Manhattan and the final stretch into Central Park, the question will be simple:

Who will rule New York this time — Hellen Obiri or Sheila Chepkirui?