Alysia Montaño is known as the “Olympic runner with the flower in her hair.” She’s an accomplished middle distance runner with five national championships and represented the U.S. in the 2012 Olympic Games. Montaño is still the runner with a flower in hair, but  this week she was the “running pregnant lady”. On Thursday, Alysia ran the 800 meters in the U.S. track and field championships, nearly eight months pregnant. Despite being 35 seconds slower than her personal best, it wasn’t about setting records or even winning the race.
In a phone interview with espnW Montano said, “This is what it looks like for a professional woman, first of all, continuing her career and pursuing her dream and starting a family simultaneously.” Alysia was cool, calm and collected in her interview just like she was while running the race.
As you  might expect, the public has been chiming in with their opinions and not all of them are positive. Anyone who speaks negatively about Alysia’s race should take time to educate themselves. Pregnancy isn’t a disease. It isn’t a disability. Exercising while pregnant isn’t a bad thing, in fact it’s enocouraged. Montano’s doctors were “100% on board” with her running the race. There will always be misguided comments from the uneducated and ill-informed. Kudos to Alysia for being bold and embracing her pregnancy in a positive light.
Anyone who wants to be further informed on fitness and pregnancy please follow @DrJAshton . She has amazing info for any inquisitive beings.
— Alysia Montaño (@AlysiaMontano) June 27, 2014
Alysia received a standing ovation from those in attendance and when asked about it she says with a laugh, “even though I came in last, I was the first pregnant lady.”
Follow her journey not only as an athlete but also as a role model. Visit alysiamontano.com and follow her on twitter @AlysiaMontano. Read more on espnW.com.
