Some Runners Are Choosing Not To Wait For A Family

Kara Goucher is one example of this new trend.

After she took second in the 10,000m event at the U.S. Outdoor Championships, Kara Goucher took her 9-month-old son, Colt, around the stadium for a victory lap.

“A few months ago, I told Adam, my husband, If I win, I want that memory of having him [Colt] with me,” she said.

Even though the win went to Shalane Flanagan by 17 seconds, Goucher still decided to take the lap anyway. Her second-place showing secured her a spot on the U.S. World Championship team.

Most female athletes wait until the end of their careers to start a family, but Goucher is among a small group of elites who aren’t following that trend. Instead, she is simultaneously competing and mothering: two very challenging tasks.

Goucher purposely gained weight and took her training down to just 30 miles a week (from 100) to increase the chances of pregnancy. When she was pregnant, she continued to run and on the day that she delivered Colt, she lifted weights and went on a 50-minute run.

For More: The New York Times