American women have been breaking national marathon records this year and Conner Mantz, a 25-year-old from Utah, had a stellar marathon debut for the men. But can Americans win major races?
. I understand that you were planning to get pregnant after the Olympics, but when they were postponed, you and your partner, Tim, decided to start trying to get pregnant. Walk me through your decision process and how you chose to have a baby during a pandemic.
A: Being a pro-athlete, the timing of having a baby is very important, because you are in a four-year cycle. I’m in the peak of my career. If we take this opportunity now, I have time to recover from the childbirth, go to the Olympics and then return and continue to improve. We decided if nothing is going to happen for the rest of 2020 and part of 2021, why not take advantage of it and not worry about having to take a break again. For us it was a very calculated move. I just need to be ready by August 7 [when the women’s marathon final takes place].