Runner Makenna Myler is going viral for running a 5:17 mile while 9 months pregnant, and if anyone needs me, I’ll be taking a nap
There are two types of people in this world: the achievers and the supporters. Runner Makenna Myler, who’s going viral for running a 5-minute, 17-second mile while nine months pregnant, is very clearly an achiever. And all of us (author raises her hand) who read that sentence and immediately wanted to go lie down in her honor—well, we’re the supporters.
This isn’t the first time Myler has made waves for being both a mom and a superhuman. Back in 2020, she went viral for running a sub-6-minute mile while pregnant with her first child. Now that she’s nine months pregnant with baby number two, she decided to try again—and she ran the mile even faster this time. Myler, who is due on March 15 (one whopping week from today, but who’s counting?) shaved eight seconds off her 2020 time of 5 minutes and 25 seconds.
In a move that will be relatable to almost no moms ever, Myler told Yahoo she “can’t imagine not running during pregnancy.”
And despite running a mile in a timeframe most adults can only dream of achieving, she also noted that because of her pregnancy, she wasn’t running at “100 percent.”
“The internal governor will not allow you to push to 100,” she said. “She’s smart enough to never allow the baby any danger. It feels weird trying to go all out, and still having about 10 to 15% in the tank at the end, knowing there was just no way for you to spend it. Our bodies are incredible.”
It’s probably worth noting that that makes sense, since Myler’s best non-pregnant mile time is four minutes and 37 seconds.
Doctors agree that it’s safe (and even encouraged) to exercise by running during pregnancy in most cases, with notable exceptions for women who experience pregnancy complications. But moms, if you’d rather spend your pregnancy (especially the third trimester) getting as much rest as humanly possible, there’s certainly no judgment for that, either.
