Running a Marathon 22 Weeks Pregnant: Trapped Nerve and Frequent Stops

At 33 years old, Calli Hauger-Thackery, a Sheffield-based athlete, achieved a notable milestone by completing the Boston Marathon in 2 hours and 43 minutes while 22 weeks pregnant. Despite this being slower than her personal best, the feat stands out as a defining moment in her career, described by her as “incredible” and “more meaningful.”

The Boston Marathon Experience

Her journey to this race included overcoming unexpected physical hurdles. At mile five, she was forced to stop for treatment due to a trapped nerve in her glute, followed by a second incident at mile 11. “I had to sprint to the medical aid because of this intense nerve issue,” she explained. “I could barely lift my right leg, and it felt like a real problem.”

“I genuinely couldn’t even move my right leg properly. I was dragging it, and I thought, ‘oh no, this is not good’ at mile five. I was like, ‘guys, is there anything you can do?’”

Despite these setbacks, she managed to push through, with the second half of the race feeling “flawless” and “in tune with her body.” “I felt a million dollars,” she said. “OK, we’re actually doing this.”

Discovering Pregnancy After a Win

Her decision to start a family was influenced by a prior race. Hauger-Thackery had already won the Honolulu Marathon in December, where she experienced nausea and initially blamed it on the heat. “I joked to Nick, my husband, and said, ‘imagine if it is morning sickness,’” she recalled. “We laughed it off, genuinely didn’t think anything of it.”

“It was Christmas Eve we found out and we were like, ‘oh, that makes sense now.’ I won the race and actually felt amazing, so I was just shocked.”

Following her victory in Honolulu, she competed in the Houston Marathon in January, which she described as the “hardest” race of her career. “I was eight weeks pregnant, but I was still taking it very seriously,” she said. “I just thought, you know what, I’m going to at least go for it and try and see.”

A New Chapter in Her Journey

After not finishing the Chicago Marathon in October, Hauger-Thackery and her husband Nick decided the timing was right to begin their family. “It kind of just made sense this year,” she noted. “We were like, ‘wow, are we actually gonna do this? Is this the year we wanna start a family?’ Nick and I both agreed it was a perfect year.”

“Hauger-Thackery came sixth in the Boston Marathon 2025. Missing out on a finish in the Chicago race meant it felt like ‘a sad, sad day’ for her, until she and Nick envisioned their future. ‘I was like, ‘wow, are we actually gonna do this?’”

Her career is marked by significant accomplishments, such as setting the joint second-fastest British women’s marathon time (tied with Charlotte Purdue, behind Paula Radcliffe) and securing bronze in the women’s half-marathon at the 2024 European Athletics Championships. With no major international events planned for 2025, the decision to start a family felt natural.

Career Achievements and Reflections

“Running marathons while pregnant feels ‘even more meaningful’ than any of my past achievements,” Hauger-Thackery said. “It’s a different kind of hard, for sure, than what I’ve ever done.” She emphasized the emotional weight of the accomplishment. “I think it’s just given me more purpose than ever before.”

“It’s such a special thing. I’ve been so fortunate throughout this pregnancy, and being able to do this now is just incredible.”

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