Alysha Flynn finished her eighth marathon in 3:53:39—and she wasn’t alone. She had her husband, Brian, by her side and a passenger along for the ride.
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When they got to the finish line of the Via Marathon in Easton, Pennsylvania, on Sunday morning, balloons let them know what’s coming in January 2018: It’s a boy!
Forget the pink or blue cake. This unusual gender reveal involved burning calories, not consuming them.
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The Best Maternity Activewear for Runners—LiveWELLMomz—from around the country. And 24 of them were planning to compete at Via, in either the full, half, or relay.
They signed up for the race in April. In May, Flynn learned she is expecting, and she figured she’d share the baby’s gender with her team when it was over. But a friend encouraged her to tell race officials about her plans—and let other runners and spectators know about the good news.
So a few weeks ago, Flynn went for an anatomy scan and asked for the baby’s gender to be put in two sealed envelopes. One went to the race director. The other went to the supermarket that was providing the balloons.
During the race, Flynn wore a tank top that read, “Baby on board—20 weeks” on the back. Brian Flynn’s shirt read, “Daddy’s trying to keep up!”
Along the way, other runners and spectators shouted their encouragement. “It was unbelievable,” Flynn said. “It so far exceed expectations for motivation, desire to finish, everything.”
Because they already have a daughter, Riley, who is almost two, the Flynns had been thinking all along this baby would be a girl, too. When they spotted the blue balloons, they were shocked—and overjoyed.
Running through pregnancy is not new to Flynn. When she was expecting Riley, she ran a half marathon every month after the first trimester, up until the weekend before she delivered.
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Her philosophy for running through pregnancy is “baby willing, body willing, and weather dependent.” Flynn says she would “never risk the health of my growing baby.” Her marathon PR is 3:18, which made her run at the Via Marathon yesterday feel relaxed. Her only pains during were slightly sore shins and hips from portions of the route that were on a gravel surface she’s unaccustomed to running on, and more chafing than she normally experiences, due to the 16 extra pounds she’s carrying.
Flynn went for a checkup on Monday—and baby is doing great. (Parents had had a girl name picked out, but now they’re getting to work on a boy name.)
She’s planning to run half marathons in October and November and the Rehoboth Beach Marathon in December. She’s also planning to run Boston again in April—10 weeks postpartum.
Published: Sep 11, 2017 3:51 PM EDT is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World Health & Injuries, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
