“The Second Half Was Flawless”: Runner Reflects on 2:43:58 Boston Marathon Run at 22 Weeks Pregnant

• A British long-distance runner stunned the athletics world by completing one of the toughest marathons while well into her pregnancy
• Her performance comes a year after a top-six finish on the same course, adding a dramatic twist to her return
• She has now opened up about the physical and mental battle behind the run, revealing it was far tougher than it looked

A runner clocked 2 hours and 43 minutes at the Boston Marathon 2026 on Monday, 20 April 2026, while 22 weeks pregnant. She has since shared the remarkable story of how she did it, and, according to her, it was far from glamorous at the start.

Calli Hauger-Thackery of Great Britain finished 65th in 2:43:58, having competed in the 2025 edition where she placed sixth. Even though her position dropped significantly compared to last year, the fact that she ran while pregnant, with her first child due at the end of August, makes the feat extraordinary.

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She shared a bold post on Instagram before the race:

“Just like my running atm, my race kit also looks a little different too!! 😆

SO happy with this race fit though 💥

The main thing is that it’s bump-friendly!

(I sized up and it fits) - PHEW 😮‍💨🤣

Tomorrow I have no real goal other than to try and get me and our little legend our FIFTH finisher’s medal together.

I’ll be listening to the body more than ever before, but I do feel calloused enough and I fully know what this race entails. 💙💛💪

I don’t take it lightly, and I’m so grateful I am still able to even think about doing this.

My little teammate is taking on our third marathon together.

I cannot wait to tell him all about this in the future when I’m lining up on this start line again, and he’s all grown up.

All I know is that I’ll be thinking about all the amazing women who have paved the way before me.

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All the other pregnant mums are taking on start lines and doing epic things while growing a human.

And all the women who fought to make this even possible.”

As seen in the post below:

Boston Marathon performance and splits

In 2025, she averaged 5:29 per mile, while on Monday, she ran at 6:16 per mile. In an interview with Runner’s World, she said Boston would likely be her “last proper race” for a while.

“The body will need recovery more than normal at the moment,” she said.

Her medical team had given her the green light to compete after her most recent prenatal check-up. The only issues she experienced were in her legs. Before the Boston Marathon, she had run the 2:37 Olympic Marathon Trials qualifying standard.

“The second half was flawless,” she said.

“The first half was absolutely chaos.”

Her half-marathon splits were 1:23:10 and 1:20:48.

“It would almost be weird for me to just stop training and not have any goals,” she said. “Because I race a lot, it’s just what I know. It’s what fires me up. It’s what gets me through the training blocks. So just to have something during this pregnancy, otherwise it’s a long nine months. And it’s not just nine months, is it? It’s been a long time to not have any goals.”

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She won the Honolulu Marathon in December 2025 and also claimed victory at the Houston Marathon in 2:24:17.

Gerda Steyn makes Two Oceans history

In other marathon news, Gerda Steyn made history at the Two Oceans Marathon 2026 after winning the race for a seventh consecutive time. Third place went to Zimbabwean runner Nobuhle Tshuma, who had a dramatic finish to the race.

Gerda Steyn speaks on non-payment

Briefly News previously reported that legendary South African marathon runner Gerda Steyn has revealed that she is still awaiting payment from the Soweto Marathon organisers, six months after finishing third in the race.

She spoke about her disappointment with the Soweto Marathon organisers over a delayed payout involving prize money from the race.

Source: Briefly News