Trapped nerve and wee stops - running a marathon 22 weeks pregnant

For an elite athlete who has represented Great Britain at the Olympic Games, running the Boston Marathon in two hours and 43 minutes might not seem like much of an achievement.

That is, after all, over 20 minutes slower than her personal best.

But Calli Hauger-Thackery managed it while 22 weeks pregnant on Monday - and points to the race as an "incredible" and "more meaningful" moment in her career.

The 33-year-old, from Sheffield, ran the same race last year and finished sixth with a time of 2:22:38, and knew she was going to face a tougher task this year.

"I'm grateful that I got through that today. 26.2 miles is no easy feat and to do it this far into pregnancy, I'm super grateful," she told BBC Sport.

Like any marathon runner, she encountered some hiccups along the course. She had to be treated for a trapped nerve in her glute at mile five, and again at mile 11.

"I had to dash into the medical tank because I had this crazy trapped nerve.

"I genuinely couldn't even pick up my right leg properly. I was dragging it and I was like, oh no, this is not good and this is mile five. I was like, 'guys, is there anything you can do?'

"Luckily they were brilliant and they were able to release it.

"I had two wee stops, as you do when you're pregnant, you need them more than ever, but this was all before mile 13.

"The second half felt flawless, like I was in tune with my body. I felt a million dollars. I was like, OK, we're actually doing this. Because there were many times before mile 13, which is the halfway point, I did not think I was going to be finished in that race."

This sort of physical challenge is something Hauger-Thackery is used to, having only discovered she was pregnant after running - and winning - the Honolulu Marathon in December. She was vomiting on the course and put it down to it being a hot day.

"I joked to Nick, my husband, and said 'imagine if it is morning sickness'.

"We just laughed it off, genuinely didn't think anything of it. It was Christmas Eve we found out and we were like 'oh, that makes sense now'. I won the race and I actually felt amazing so I was just shocked."

Her next race was the Houston Marathon in January, when she was in her first trimester and won with a time of 2:24:17.

"That was probably the hardest marathon for me just because I was eight weeks pregnant, but I was still taking it very seriously. I just thought, you know what, I'm going to at least go for it and try and see."

It was after not finishing the Chicago Marathon in October that Hauger-Thackery and husband Nick, who also trains her, decided the time was right to start a family.

"It kind of just made sense this year," Hauger-Thackery said.

Missing out on a finish in the Chicago race meant it felt like "a sad, sad day" for Hauger-Thackery, until she and Nick looked at what their future might hold.

Calli would keep running and competing, but they had another goal too.

"We just turned it into a happy time. I was like, 'wow, are we actually gonna do this? Is this the year we wanna start a family?' Nick and I both agreed that it was a perfect year."

Hauger-Thackery's career contains a multitude of achievements, including setting the joint second fastest marathon time for a British woman (behind Paula Radcliffe, joint with Charlotte Purdue) and winning bronze in the women's half-marathon at the 2024 European Athletics Championships.

With no outdoor Worlds or Europeans on the calendar this year, and having already "ticked off" competing in a Commonwealth Games, looking to start a family made perfect sense.

"If we do it this year, I'll have a two-year-old for the Olympics," Hauger-Thackery said.

Running marathons while pregnant feels "even more meaningful" than her previous achievements in athletics, according to Hauger-Thackery.

"It is such a special thing. I think I've been so fortunate throughout this pregnancy so far and and to be able to do this now is just incredible," she said.

"It's a different kind of hard, for sure, than what I've ever done, a lot harder than the European medals or these other things that I've achieved. But in a different way, in a more meaningful way, and I think it's just given me more purpose than ever before."

Hauger-Thackery has found the support along her journey "really nice and special", whether coming from fellow runners, spectators lining the route or those closest to her.

There have been some negative comments, from "people behind the keyboard", but Hauger-Thackery said: "I just try to not let them get to me.

"I know my body and I know what's right for me, and I spoke to my doctors, they all know my story and they're really supportive.

"There's been more research than ever before on why you actually should run while you're pregnant, especially if it's all you've known."

Long-distance stars Paula Radcliffe, Liz McColgan and Sonia O'Sullivan all continued their running careers around having children.

"You just see incredible running mums before me who have been there done it and now come back. And they're even better than ever before, after pregnancy," Hauger-Thackery said.

Looking to start a family while remaining in sport is something many now aim for.

Manchester United's recently Celin Bizet Donnum revealed she was pregnant, taking time away from the pitch, while England's Rugby World Cup-winning captain Zoe Stratford is expecting her first child.

In light of this, Hauger-Thackery believes attitudes are changing and she wants to show women "can do both".

"It means so much to me. We can be a mother and also shoot for these crazy big goals, more than ever. It's definitely not going to scare me away from any goals," she said.

"I think, if anything, it's going to push me to show my son what is possible. I just think that makes it even more meaningful for me and I'm just honoured and excited to be a part of that space."

Hauger-Thackery has no more races planned for now, saying she'll be "putting her feet up for a bit".

She said: "The post-marathon recovery takes on a whole new level when you're 22 weeks pregnant."