Amazing--woman gives birth after completing Chicago Marathon?!?

Anonym. wrote:

As a runner and maternal/fetal health specialist, here's my two cents:

The real story is not how some healthy mom ran/walked a 6.5 hour marathon-- it's that the majority of pregnant women in the US start out their pregnancies overweight, go on to develop gestational diabetes during their pregnancy and end up needing costly c-sections. These moms will continue to be overweight long after the birth and have repeat c-sections. They are slowly killing themselves and raising your health care costs.

THAT'S what should be causing an uproar on the morning news shows!!

Is gestational diabetes solely due to the weight of the mother? My wife got tested for that and she is about as fit as one can be while pregnant. I guess they just test you for it no matter what.

Every pregnant mom is screened for gestational diabetes.

But, women who are overweight before becoming pregnant or who gain a lot weight during the first trimester of pregnancy are more likely to get the disease.

Statistically speaking, your very fit wife will likely have a shorter labor with fewer interventions that an overweight woman who is also pregnant.

rojo wrote:

Mrs. M wrote:

The article said she ran the first half and walked the second. She probably started walking because the running induced labor.

I'll start by saying I know next to little about pregnancy. While I'm all for people remaining active during pregnancy, does anyone else think this is just a crazy story?

The ESPN article quotes her as saying she is "crazy" about running. I'd just say crazy.

She was 39 weeks pregnant. My god that's almost 10 months. I had no idea pregnancy's actually last normally last 40 weeks.

http://www.uptodate.com/contents/patient-information-postterm-pregnancy

Pregnancy's??? WTF?

A different article on her here:

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/11102011/58/runner-gives-birth-marathon.html

Thanks for your insight...I'm sure the "pregnancy's" mistake from Rojo really threw you off.

that no one has noticed the qoute of the day...that states that her Physician thought she must be "an elite..."? And the NY article mentioned something similar. Am I delusional? Or did I read right or wrong?

antelope2fine wrote:

(1) Chicago is a mass participant race with a very busy course - tricky at times (e.g. aid stations) to keep your footing. It was very possible for her to trip or to have another participant collide with her.

You're brilliant. Tricky footing in an aid station?

I guess pregnant women should also avoid stairs, carpeted floors, and any area with chairs or furniture?

Most of your other comments are just as stupid.

Anonym. wrote:

Every pregnant mom is screened for gestational diabetes.

But, women who are overweight before becoming pregnant or who gain a lot weight during the first trimester of pregnancy are more likely to get the disease.

Statistically speaking, your very fit wife will likely have a shorter labor with fewer interventions that an overweight woman who is also pregnant.

My coworker is really fit and thin, lost weight during the first trimester (do to morning sickness) and just found out she has gestational diabetes. So anyone can get it.

An Engineer wrote:

antelope2fine wrote:

(1) Chicago is a mass participant race with a very busy course - tricky at times (e.g. aid stations) to keep your footing. It was very possible for her to trip or to have another participant collide with her.

You're brilliant. Tricky footing in an aid station?

I guess pregnant women should also avoid stairs, carpeted floors, and any area with chairs or furniture?

Most of your other comments are just as stupid.

Odd logical reasoning/arguments you use. First to draw a comparison between a wet area, full of cups with hundreds of runners at a time weaving to get to the water tables to walking on carpet or going up and down stairs seems misplaced. Perhaps a better anaolgy would be a torn carpet or stairs where kids are running up them as a pregnant woman goes down them. When my wife was pregnant, I can tell you we kept things pretty simple in the last few weeks - extra care going up and down stairs, etc.

You do have me on the chair though - I always trip over those things. Twice today already.

And to refute the other arguments by merely stating they are stupid? I am sure the medical teams at New York, Boston, Chicago would encourage women nearly 39 weeks pregnant to be on the course. Makes it much easier to treat heart attacks, and other typical runner related medical conditions on the course. And, the argument asking when the physician gave his/her okay? Seems rather relevant to me as a lawyer. That would be one of the first questions I would ask in a negligence action - did you okay this given the forecast of weather to be in the low 80's? Or did this physician okay this a week, month in advance? Can't imagine a med mal. lawyer thinking it would be a good idea.

Finally, I asked a friend who is a oby/gyne and a former D3 runner what her take was on this - her reply: She would never, under any circumstances, recommend this for anyone at this point in a pregnancy.

An Engineer wrote:

You're brilliant. Tricky footing in an aid station?

I guess pregnant women should also avoid stairs, carpeted floors, and any area with chairs or furniture?

Most of your other comments are just as stupid.

I guess the bigger question is just "why do it?" Sure, some of the aforementioned threats by others are long-shots, but some others are very likely encounters. Regardless of their likelihood, why even risk it when you're talking about the birth of another child? Exercise to your heart's content during your pregnancy, but completing 26.2 miles in one setting, regardless of the speed, opens a lot of "what ifs" and "hope for the best" situations.

Totally agree with Red B. I am a sub 3 marathon runner and I ran throughout my pregnancy, and I am all for women eating healthy and exercising a lot through pregnancy.

But the thought of running a mass marathon in 80 degree heat while 39 weeks pregnant *is* risky. I would be extremely worried about the unpredictability of the people running around me . . . when you are running in crowds, it is so easy to get cut-off or tripped. And the comment about the water stations is right on. It is incredibly easy to slip on the cups/water on the street. I just wouldn't risk it.

Personally, I would be paranoid about the stress such an event would place on the baby (as your body temperature increases, you risk diverting blood and oxygen away from the baby; even if you keep it at a conversational pace, I don't think running/walking 26 miles in heat is a wonderful idea). Why not just focus on running a fast marathon post-pregnancy?

I ran through my 4 pregnancies and here is what I don't understand: How in the world did this lady do this without having to stop and pee every mile or so? I did all of my running on trails because I had to stop and pee so many times from the pressure of the baby bouncing on my bladder. I doubt there were Porta-Johns every mile.

I am a bit surprised... wrote:

that no one has noticed the qoute of the day...that states that her Physician thought she must be "an elite..."? And the NY article mentioned something similar. Am I delusional? Or did I read right or wrong?

I'm sure to those outside of running a sub 3:30 is "elite". Elite is synonomous with "anyone serious/consistent about running" to many doctors.

6:25 and she beat her husband.

My main concern would be about the impact of glycogen depletion on her ability to nourish the baby. But what do I know.

If a heavily pregnant friend said she had just walked for 6.5 (outside of an organised marathon) would you be concerned?

If a friend, who was 40 wks pregnant and about to bust, just told me she walked for 6.5 hrs straight outside in warm temperatures??? Ummmm, yes, I'd be heavily concerned.

She's an idiot and the doctor should have his license revoked for permitting her to do this. I hope they give up the child for adoption so it has some chance of growing up sane and normal.

Anyone wanna estimate how much time off before she starts running again? Baby doesn't seem to be the #1 priority here anyway.

This is selfish and irresponsible. And, her husband was there right behind her. My husband would kill me. At some point, whether it is the heat or the fact that the mother's body starts to look for nourishment, the baby was at some risk.