What happens when your biggest sporting heartbreak becomes the fuel for your next chapter? Great Britain marathon runner Calli Hauger-Thackeray opens up about Olympic disappointment, motherhood, resilience and the extraordinary journey of running marathons while pregnant.
Calli Hauger-Thackeray is a Great Britain endurance athlete who transitioned from the track to the marathon, running 2:21 on her debut and competing at the Paris 2024 Olympics. She made headlines after running the Boston Marathon at 22 weeks pregnant, before welcoming her son Evan and beginning the journey back to running just six weeks postpartum.
In this episode, she explains:
■ The Olympic Heartbreak: How discovering her mum had cancer just weeks before the Paris Olympics affected her sleep, nutrition and ultimately led to a DNF, and why failure became fuel for her comeback.
■ Running Through Pregnancy: What it was really like to train and race throughout pregnancy, including completing the Boston Marathon at 22 weeks, while learning to listen to her body and adapt her training day by day.
■ The Power of Resilience: Why fitness alone isn’t enough to get you through a marathon, and how devastating moments can ultimately make you stronger.
■ Motherhood & Identity: How becoming a mum has given her a bigger purpose, changed her perspective on performance and made her more hungry than ever to achieve her goals.
■ The Road to Redemption: Six weeks postpartum, Calli is already back to gentle run-walk sessions and has her sights set on an Olympic comeback at LA 2028, with a new teammate and her biggest “why” by her side.
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This series is proudly sponsored by Revive Active, offering an exclusive discount to Showing Up Stronger podcast listeners. Use code STRONGER15. Find Revive Active in Boots, Holland & Barrett, pharmacies and health stores, or online at reviveactive.com.
