New York Nurse Runs the NYC Marathon at 34 Weeks Pregnant: Her Seventh Marathon of the Pregnancy Draws Debate, and She Says Each Was Decided With Her Doctor
Deirdre Keane, a 38-year-old nurse practitioner in New York, finished the New York City Marathon on November 1 at 34 weeks pregnant. Telling an interviewer at the finish line that it was her seventh marathon of this pregnancy, she saw the clip, and photos of her glitter-covered finish, spread widely on social media, drawing congratulations and criticism at the same time.
According to Marathon Handbook on November 13, drawing on reporting by The Washington Post and others, Keane finished in 4:06 that day and completed all seven World Marathon Majors in 2026. She ran Tokyo in 3:16 in March, before she was pregnant, then Boston and London in April at around five and six weeks, without yet knowing. Sydney followed at 25 weeks, Berlin at 29 weeks and Chicago at 31 weeks, before New York at 34 weeks. Race day in New York would have been her late father's 75th birthday.
Most of the argument came down to one question: is this safe for the baby? An X post picked up by LBC called it beyond foolish, and other commenters wrote irresponsible and asked whether it was safe. Keane told The Telegraph she hoped her run would help change the stigma around exercising while pregnant, that she was not trying to make a statement about what pregnant women should do, and that running 26.2 miles at 34 weeks was a very personal decision. After a test following London showed she was pregnant, she and her obstetrician agreed to take it one marathon at a time, with rules to stay hydrated, watch for signs of dehydration, not push as hard as usual, and ease off at any cramping or pain in her abdomen.
Keane and her husband, Brian Innes, had expected pregnancy to take a while, so she had built 2026 into one last big racing year, with eight marathons, a 100-mile ultramarathon and her first Ironman on the list. Once she tested positive, the Ironman and the 100-miler came off the calendar and the marathons stayed on with her doctor's support. She won the women's race at the 2023 World Marathon Challenge, seven marathons on seven continents in seven days, and has finished the Leadville and Grindstone 100-milers. Her father, who ran the New York City Marathon 15 to 20 times, died of cancer when she was 13, and she took up running in college following in his footsteps.
Reviewing the research, Marathon Handbook notes that guidance from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists generally allows people who did vigorous exercise before pregnancy to keep it up when there are no complications, while research on racing a marathon late in pregnancy remains thin and largely self-reported, showing links rather than cause and effect. This report makes no recommendation about racing while pregnant. After New York, Keane summed up her year in one line: not quite the year she had planned, but she would not change a thing.
Source: The Telegraph
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 资料图：2024年纽约市马拉松女子精英组领跑选手（Nrbelex摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经Wikimedia Commons），已裁为16:9，非Keane本人、非涉事片段画面。/ File photo: the elite women's leaders at the 2024 New York City Marathon (photo by Nrbelex, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons), cropped to 16:9; not Keane and not a frame from the viral clip.
