A heavily pregnant runner just completed one of the most jaw-dropping athletic performances the running world has ever seen.
Ali Andrews, eight months pregnant, crossed the finish line at the Sydney Marathon in under three hours — a feat that stopped spectators dead in their tracks.
And this wasn’t even her first time racing with a baby on board.
The 29-year-old Oklahoma City financial analyst is rewriting the rulebook on pregnancy fitness, and her story is one that every runner — pregnant or not — needs to hear.
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Breaking the 3-Hour Barrier With a Baby Bump
On August 30 in Sydney, Australia, Andrews ran the Sydney Marathon — her fourth of the eight World Marathon Majors — and clocked an extraordinary 2:59:43.
She averaged a blistering 6:51 per mile pace, running nearly even splits of 1:29:23 and 1:30:20 for each half. That included two porta-potty stops along the way.
For context, most recreational runners — without a growing human inside them — would be thrilled to finish a marathon in under three hours. Andrews did it at eight months along.
This was by no means like a fast, hard effort. This race was on the books, so I wanted to do it.
She kept her heart rate steady in the 150s throughout, only briefly tipping into the 160s during the final miles. Speed was never the goal — completion was.
The Crowd Reaction Was Priceless
Running near the front of the pack, Andrews didn’t exactly blend in.
Fellow runners and spectators would notice her baby bump only after she had already blazed past them — and the reactions were everything.
It’s like a delayed reaction. People would be like, ‘Oh my God, she’s pregnant!’ And it was just really funny. And the guys and women on the course were super duper supportive. They were like, ‘You’re doing great. Keep killing it.’
That kind of crowd energy is infectious — and frankly, hard-earned.
She Already Set a PR While 13 Weeks Pregnant
Sydney wasn’t even the first time Andrews turned heads this pregnancy.
Back in April, she ran the 2026 Boston Marathon in 2:41:58 — a personal record across her sixth career marathon — while 13 weeks pregnant. That performance laid the groundwork for everything that followed in Sydney.
Her husband and coach, Jacob Anderson — himself an accomplished 2:26 marathoner — saw the Boston result as a massive indicator of what his wife was truly capable of.
She’s been a trooper during this pregnancy and very resilient and robust. She had very minimal morning sickness the first trimester and she’s just been healthy and strong throughout the whole Boston build. For her to PB at Boston 13 weeks pregnant I think said a lot and so going into Sydney, it was just about maintaining that base she built from Boston.
A Running Career That Started Almost by Accident
What makes Andrews’ story even more remarkable is how recently she discovered competitive distance running.
Growing up in Park Hill, Oklahoma, she was a multi-sport athlete — running, soccer, and cheer all featured in her high school years. At Oklahoma State University, she stayed active teaching spin classes at the campus gym.
Then, in 2023, her father Mark decided he wanted to run an Oklahoma City half marathon to celebrate his birthday as he approached 70. Andrews figured that if her dad could handle a half, she could certainly manage a full marathon at 26 years old. She ran 3:11.
That race changed everything.
She joined a local running group, met Anderson, fell in love, and suddenly had both a life partner and a dedicated coach in her corner. Within just a few years, she had gone from casual gym-goer to sub-3:00 marathoner — while pregnant.
Big Goals Are Already Locked In for After the Birth
The baby is due at the end of October, and Andrews isn’t planning on slowing down once she arrives.
Both Andrews and Anderson have their sights set on the California International Marathon in December of next year. More specifically, Andrews is gunning for the Olympic Marathon Trials qualifying standard of 2:37 — which would require cutting five full minutes off her current personal best.
Ambitious? Absolutely. But Anderson believes it’s entirely within reach.
I think we’re just tapping into her potential.
Given that she just ran a sub-3:00 marathon eight months pregnant, it’s difficult to argue with him.
Her Message to Other Pregnant Runners
Andrews is acutely aware that her performances challenge a lot of conventional thinking about pregnancy and physical activity. She had full medical clearance before Sydney, her pregnancy has been healthy throughout, and her doctors note that her baby “has known nothing but running this whole pregnancy.”
She’s passionate about pushing back against the culture of fear that often surrounds exercise during pregnancy — particularly for those with low-risk pregnancies like hers.
Don’t stop your norm. Your [body] is already doing a super hard change. Why would you give up more of your normal and more of yourself?
It’s advice delivered with the quiet confidence of someone who just ran 26.2 miles faster than most people ever will — with her daughter along for every single step.
