A Runner's Groove
No biggie: Pregnant woman who ran marathon and gave birth the same day has doneit twice before
- Joe Miller, son Caleb, Amber Miller, and newborn JunePhoto by Mark Black/AP
- Amber Miller ran the first half of the race with her husband and walked therest.Photo by Marian Petruța
Completing a marathon is a feat in itself. Completing it pregnant seems impossible.
Not so for one 27-year-old Chicago runner. With her doctor's permission, Amber Miller completed the Chicago Marathon on Sunday at 38 weeks and five days pregnant. She ran the first half of the race and walked the rest, finishing in six hours and 25 minutes.
Miller began feeling contractions as she walked across the finish line, so she and her husband (who she beat in the race) grabbed a post-race meal and then headed to the hospital. Hours later, Miller gave birth to a healthy baby girl named June.
This was Miller's eighth marathon, and her third with a bun in the oven: In May of 2011, she ran the Wisconsin Marathon while 17 weeks pregnant with her daughter — and in 2009, she ran the Indianapolis Marathon while 18 weeks pregnant with her son Caleb, who is now a 1-year old.
Some healthy people die in the process of completing the 26.2 mile run, and one runner died in the Chicago Marathon Miller finished. It seems pretty risky to endure such a strenuous activity so close to full term.
Do you think this was a good idea? Could you imagine running with a baby bump?