The Journey of Running While Pregnant, According to Two Moms

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In 2020, Katie Follett was laser-focused on one thing: qualifying for the Olympics in track and field. The professional middle-distance runner had competed in the 1500 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2008 as a sophomore at the University of Washington, and again as a pro in 2012. In 2016, she narrowly missed landing a spot on the U.S. Olympic team in the 5,000 meters, when she finished sixth place just a few seconds out of the third and final qualifying spot.

“I almost retired,” Follett says, remembering the heartbreaking results. “I really had to think about my ‘why.’” Still, she returned to the track for another Olympic cycle and set her sights on qualifying for the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo, Japan, which were delayed a year because of the Covid-19 pandemic. She had won the U.S. road mile championship in 2017 and placed eighth in the 3,000 meters at the World Indoor Championships in 2018, so she was encouraged to keep chasing her dreams. “That was my mindset, that this was the last four to five years of training,” she says.

Her opportunity would come at the postponed U.S. Olympic Trials in June of 2021. But in January of that year, she found out she was pregnant.

Follett, who lives in Longmont, Colorado, was shocked. “It was a total surprise,” she says. She knew she wanted to become a mother—someday. This was certainly not the timing she’d been expecting. Could she be an elite athlete and a mother? What would that look like? Would running while pregnant even be possible for her?

She learned that, for her, during that pregnancy, it was. During the next nine months and beyond, Follett learned just how much she was capable of. She continued to train at a high level before and after she and her husband, Jeff Boelé, welcomed their son, Joshua, into the world in September 2021. She continued to train postpartum and used those learnings as the basis for an informative podcast in 2022 and through her second pregnancy in 2024.

Seeing the Possibilities

Tracy Roeser is a passionate runner and professional creative director also based in Longmont. She competed in cross country and track at the Savannah College of Art and Design from 2006 to 2011, ran the New York City Marathon, and qualified for the Boston Marathon. Although she’d been plagued by running injuries, she had kept at it as she started her professional career as a designer because she was passionate about the sport. Like Follett, she found out she was expecting in 2021.

Roeser and her husband—a two-time U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon qualifier, and physical therapist, Kurt Roeser—welcomed their first child, daughter, Greta Ann, into the world in May 2022, and were blessed by the birth of their son, Caden, in mid-August of this year. Roeser, 36, ran throughout both pregnancies. In fact, she ran a new 5K PR in November 2023 while unknowingly pregnant with Caden. “There’s something special about seeing your daughter and husband on the sideline cheering you on,” she says.

Roeser’s doctors told her she had no issues barring her from continuing to run, and that she could keep going as long as it felt good. During her second pregnancy, she ran (and walked) until the day before Caden was born at 41 weeks. (Greta ran her first mile with Kurt and Tracy just days before Caden was born.) “I was just happy to be moving and just enjoying being outside—especially if I was able to do it with [my toddler].”

Follett’s decision to keep running during her first pregnancy was simple.

“In some ways, it was my job,” says Follett, who had been a Brooks-sponsored athlete. Yet, it wasn’t long ago that some of the biggest brands in athletics would cut ties with pro athletes once they became pregnant. Follett credits American track and field stars Allyson Felix and Alysia Montaño, and Canadian middle-distance runner Melissa Bishop, for blazing a modern trail for runners to train and compete during and after pregnancy.

“Because these women had paved the path, I thought, ‘Hey this is something that’s possible,’” says Follett, now 37. Brooks was supportive, even with her priorities shifting. “My highest priority was the health of the baby and the health of myself long term.”

In recent years, Oiselle, Hoka, Altra, Brooks, and The North Face, have been among the brands that have openly embraced pregnant professional runners and kept them under contract, while organizations like &Mother and the New York City Marathon have paved the way for deferral policies for pregnant runners and greater inclusion of new moms with lactation stations at races. The efforts of those athletes, brands, and organizations have been part of a generational shift in how women athletes prioritize their running careers and when they’ll have children, as well as how sponsors support and invest in the full lives of athletes. It’s a crucial part of the rising tide of women’s sports.

RELATED: This Study Provides First Ever Program for Pregnant Runners Returning to Sport

Permission to Not Have a Plan

While pregnancy is nothing short of miraculous, enduring the changes can be tiring at best, and often lead to pain and discomfort. Even the least eventful pregnancies take a toll. While exercise during pregnancy—and specifically running—has become normalized in recent decades, even elite runners have to assess whether running is still enjoyable or if it is too uncomfortable to continue. Many women opt to back off their running frequency and focus on walking, while some are required by their doctors to take a break.

Throughout pregnancy, your body requires an additional 50,000 to 80,000 calories as it directs an additional 10 percent of its energy toward growing a new human—not a small undertaking. Over 40 weeks, give or take, the uterus grows from the size of a lemon to the size of a watermelon, cramping other vital organs in the process. The cardiovascular system ramps up its efforts—as blood volume can double during pregnancy—which is one of several reasons a pregnant runner’s heart rate can increase a little or a lot. In addition, hormones are in flux. The ovaries and placenta create the hormone relaxin, which relaxes blood vessels to accept more blood flow, makes ligaments and muscles more flexible to accommodate a growing fetus, and eventually makes the pelvis and cervix more open for birth.

Suzy Lipinski, an OB/GYN at HCA HealthONE Presbyterian St. Luke’s in Denver, says, in general, regular exercise, including running, is a great way to stay healthy and happy during pregnancy, but suggests every woman consult their doctor about exercise during pregnancy as everyone’s situation is different.

Lipinski tells her patients to run slower and take walking breaks, if necessary, and to adjust workouts depending on how they feel, and to give themselves grace to take it easier. She also recommends that her patients follow what is known as the “talk test” to monitor their intensity: If you cannot speak a full sentence without being out of breath, then slow down or take a walking break.

“My recommendation to my patients is to continue your workouts in pregnancy including running. However, pregnancy is not the time to increase your volume or intensity,” Lipinski says. “Remember that as you progress in your pregnancy, your center of gravity changes and your joints relax. This makes falls more common. Be careful to run on safe and familiar surfaces to minimize trips and falls. As the joints relax, you may also have more hip and pelvic pain. This is another time to modify your pace and distance to prevent unnecessary pain.”

Pregnancy is different for everyone, and deciding how and when to exercise isn’t always so simple, Lipinski says. Both Roeser and Follett consulted with their doctors on a regular basis and adjusted their running based on how they felt.

Follett, who gave birth to her second son, Jacob, in early September, knew that exercising while pregnant was generally recommended, especially in terms of cardiovascular fitness and strength training. However, she says that the data she had used in the past in regards to training as an elite athlete—based on heart rate, mileage, speed—went out the window.

“You go from being this athlete who has a plan, and follows the plan, and has goals, to your doctor telling you, ‘We can’t really use those in pregnancy,’” Follett says. “So I think you can feel really lost.” In the end, she found the most solace in talking with other athletes who had been through pregnancies before. “They encouraged me to start looking at [training input] in terms of sensory data—just how you’re feeling.”

For Follett, that meant taking off her watch and letting go of time or distance goals in place of being OK with backing off her pace and intensity—not pushing so hard that she felt lightheaded or in pain, for instance. “Normally when you’re training, you keep your heart rate elevated, never fully recovering,” she says. “I just changed that. I caught my breath, and let my heart rate come down.” Follett also incorporated more rest, shortening her workouts and easing off when needed. “I gave myself permission to not have a plan,” she says.

During Roeser’s first pregnancy, she suffered significant hip pain which forced her to stop running at 22 weeks. “That was tough to accept,” she says, “because running is the time when I get to unplug, and it’s where I get my creative ideas.” She substituted yoga, indoor cycling and morning walks, which she explains became essential for her mental health.

RELATED: Heart Rate During Your Pregnancy: What Should It Be?

Shifting Identities

Living through a transformation like pregnancy can do a number on a runner’s identity. Elite runners like Follett often have a hard time letting go of the high level of competition they’re used to. And Follett says one of the biggest challenges for her was overcoming what she calls “the comparison trap.”

“Whether it was comparing myself to some other amazing mom who was doing stuff on social media that I couldn’t do, or comparing myself to me when I wasn’t pregnant, it was challenging to live in the moment.” By her second pregnancy, she says, she had learned to quiet the noise and find gratitude for the present. “I thought back to how strong I was at the peak of my success on the track. And then I just thought of how soft and open and flexible my body became to push out a baby. It’s like 180 degrees different, but it’s the same body.”

When Follett was pregnant the first time, she connected with Colorado maternity photographer Ethan Herrold to have him take photographs of her in her Brooks racing kit and the Team USA racing kit she had earned while representing the U.S. at the 2018 indoor world championships. Roeser later came across those shots on Katie’s Instagram account, and, midway through her second pregnancy last year, decided to reach out to Herrold herself. She wanted to do a sunrise photo shoot running around the lake near her home—a place where she and Kurt frequently run together.

“I ran a lot more in my second pregnancy and thought it might be cool to document that,” Roeser says. “He agreed and asked if Katie could join, too. I’d never met her before the photoshoot but I knew of her because of how small the running world is, and especially being a middle-distance runner in college, too. Katie and I clicked right away and somehow managed to be in sync, stride for stride with some of the shots Ethan took.”

Herrold shot them running together early in their third trimesters on June 10—which happened to be Roeser’s birthday—and each said it was a meaningful moment that helped put the transformative journey they were experiencing into perspective. “Taking these photos was an opportunity to appreciate what an amazing feat the human body is capable of,” Follett says.

Both women, now on the other side of their pregnancies, have returned to the joy of running, but in new ways in their expanded families. Follett’s sons tag along with her and her husband at races. Roeser has returned to running around the lake near her home, and her 3-year-old daughter has even started running with her and Kurt. Roeser said she and Follett are trying to set up a playdate with their kids sometime soon.

“Just having a routine inspired Greta, which inspires me,” Roeser says. “She’s realizing that [running is] a thing that we love to do, and seeing her connect to that is really cool.” Having Greta in the mix encouraged Roeser to slow down, rather than constantly chasing her next fastest 5K. As such, she has appreciated the simpler joys, like walking with her children in a dual stroller.

For both families, support has been critical. Roeser’s in-laws help with the children most days. She says that while she’s struggled with asking for support in the past, becoming a parent has changed her mindset. “I’ve realized I’m not a nuisance for asking for help.”

RELATED: Your Guide to Pregnant and Postpartum Running

Newfound Strength

In terms of new goals, Follett recently completed a masters degree in clinical mental health counseling. She’s looking beyond the world of professional track and field, although she admits that closing that chapter feels daunting.

“I think a lot of athletes can feel really discouraged as they’re ending that part of their career because it’s just hard to let something that’s been really amazing go,” she says. “It’s like, ‘How am I ever going to find anything that’s this fun and exhilarating and rewarding ever again?’”

In the fall of 2023, Follett began entering trail running races in Colorado and beyond. She placed 10th in the 2023 USATF Half Marathon Trail Championships in Moab, Utah, last November. Yet, she’s found that her favorite types of races are vertical kilometer races, or VKs—uphill races that send runners up 1,000 vertical meters (or 3,280 feet) over a few miles on a mountainous trail. “It’s super fun!” she says. “It feels kind of like you’re running an 800 or a 1500 on the track,” she says. “Your heart rate is so high and your legs burn, but you’re going slow up the side of a mountain.”

Running hard with considerable effort, but moving slowly, one foot in front of the other, heart pumping. Sounds a lot like running while pregnant.

“Women should have confidence that they are powerful, strong, and can continue being active and even train during pregnancy,” Follett says. “The narrative is becoming one where pregnancy can be an experience that provides newfound strength physically, and motivation mentally.”

Roeser says that running while pregnant and again as a new parent has given her a fresh perspective on being active outdoors. “Although there are challenging days,” she says, “I try to remind myself how lucky I am that I get to be the one to teach our kids all the little things in life and that it’s OK to stop in the middle of a run.”

In fact, it’s not uncommon for Roeser to literally stop and smell the roses while she’s out running with her young daughter. “It’s probably hilarious if someone sees us doing it,” she says. “We’re literally running, and then we stop abruptly and smell flowers.”

Ethan Herrold is a Denver-based photographer specializing in commercial, architectural, and portrait images, as well as luxury maternity photography.