A marathon runner broke the three-hour barrier just weeks before her due date, finishing the Sydney World Marathon Majors in 2:59:43 while eight months pregnant. The achievement followed a personal best of 2:41:58 at the 2026 Boston Marathon when she was 13 weeks into her pregnancy.
Alexandria Andrews, who goes by Ali, entered the Sydney race as her fourth of the eight World Marathon Majors events. She kept a steady 6:51-per-mile rhythm, pulling ahead of most of the field before many onlookers realized she was expecting.
When she passed the cheering crowd, several spectators shouted in surprise, “Oh my God, she’s pregnant!” Others offered encouragement, urging her to “keep killing it.” The reaction highlighted how rare it is to see a heavily pregnant athlete competing at such an elite level.
Andrews, 29, works in financial reporting for an oil and gas firm in Oklahoma City. Her medical team, which included an obstetrician and a sports physician, cleared her for racing after confirming a healthy pregnancy. “The baby has known nothing but running this whole pregnancy,” she said. She limited high-intensity effort and kept her heart rate below 160 beats per minute except during the final miles of the marathon.
Running has been part of her life since childhood. In high school she competed in track, soccer, and cheerleading. At Oklahoma State University she taught spin classes while staying active. Her father, Mark, inspired her to run her first marathon in 2023, a 3:11 effort completed at age 26. She later joined a local running group, where she met her husband, Jacob Anderson, a 2:26 marathoner who now serves as her coach.
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Anderson described her as “resilient and robust” throughout the pregnancy. She experienced minimal morning sickness and maintained her training base. “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.” The baby is due at the end of October.
Andrews rejects the notion that pregnant women should stop exercising, especially in low-risk pregnancies. She advised, “Don’t stop your norm.” She added that her body was already undergoing a major change, so giving up more of her normal activities would be unnecessary.
Andrews and Anderson plan to compete at the Cal International Marathon in December, with Andrews aiming for the Olympic Marathon Trials qualifying standard of 2:37. Anderson believes she can trim five minutes from her personal best, although a specific target time has not yet been set.
Half-Marathon Pace and Race Perception
She completed two half-marathons in 1:29:23 and 1:30:20, each with two quick porta-potty stops, and averaged a 6:51-per-mile pace during the race.
“This was by no means like a fast, hard effort,” Andrews said. “This race was on the books, so I wanted to do it.” As she was running, spectators and other runners at the front of the pack would only clock what was happening after she had passed.
