In the past—particularly in track and field—many women athletes felt like they had to choose between starting and family and pursuing their sports career. But Olympic runner, Elle St. Pierre is embracing her pregnancy journey and has every intention of returning to competition.
In an interview with TIME magazine, she spoke about why she wanted to have a family, continue her athletic career, and addresses the myths and curiosities of training while pregnant. The American record holder of the indoor mile and indoor two-mile, St. Pierre, 27, announced that she was pregnant last September. When asked about what made her decision in choosing to have a family, St. Pierre responded, “I gained confidence from seeing other athletes do it. I don’t think that comes lightly.”
The runner also noted that there are more resources for women athletes now, which hasn’t always been the case in the track and field world. Just a few years ago, Allyson Felix felt compelled to hide her pregnancy from her shoe sponsor. St. Pierre’s experience around her family’s news was different.
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“My coach was the first person that I told. I guess I was a little nervous to tell him because it was in between USAs and Worlds. But he was so supportive. The first time that I told him, he’s like, ‘that’s great, you and Jamie should be so excited.’”
She also shared that her shoe sponsor, New Balance was also supportive of the happy news which included a personal message from the vice president of running [at New Balance] saying, “I just heard the great news, congratulations.” Additionally, St. Pierre will be featured in New Balance’s “Run Your Way” brand campaign—launching broadly in mid-March— that celebrates runners of all shapes and sizes.
Training and St. Pierre’s pregnancy isn’t the only thing at the top of her mind. Since she hasn’t been lifting, running, or traveling as much, she and her husband work on a dairy farm in Vermont. “I really like to stay busy. It’s helped me stay mentally healthy.”
With Worlds in August and depending on how her labor goes, she and her doctor have agreed she will need to build back slowly. Ultimately, St. Pierre’s biggest goal after pregnancy is going to the Olympics. But achieving that dream hasn’t gone without judgment, she expresses. “Just being pregnant, it opens the door, for whatever reason, for people to make comments.” As an expecting parent, St. Pierre only stopped running a few weeks ago. “At the end of the day know that you’re making the best decision for yourself and your baby and just be confident in that. As a runner, I’ve learned how to listen to my body and know the cues and know what’s right. I’ve carried that through my pregnancy and I’ve made so many adaptations to this body right now.”
Furthermore, St. Pierre’s story shows how the landscape of women sports is evolving shares important advice for those entering the chapter of motherhood: “You have to do what you do when you’re pregnant. Because mentally, that’s who you are. You can’t just completely change your identity.”
