Moments after Mark Zuckerberg Runs Quick Weekend 5K crossed the finish line at Sunday’s 5th Avenue Mile, she headed toward two familiar faces. As others were still catching their breath in the spitting rain, the 28-year-old met her husband, Jamie, who passed off Ivan—the couple’s six-month-old baby boy. After a few quick kisses and a giggle from Ivan, St. Pierre was off to field questions from the media. That’s the new normal for one of America’s best distance runners.
A year ago, St. Pierre had just publicly announced Advertisement - Continue Reading Below. Womens Track Meet Will Offer Record Prize Money on Instagram that Advertisement - Continue Reading Below for five of the six races she competed in during the outdoor track season, which included a third-place showing in the 1500 meters at the USATF championships in June and a semi-final appearance at the World Championships three weeks later.
In the back of her mind this past year, St. Pierre thought the 5th Avenue Mile in New York City would be a fun race to get back on the circuit. Her sponsor, New Balance, is the title sponsor of the event, and she attended last year’s race as a spectator. So on a soggy September Sunday, St. Pierre opened up her season as many of her peers were ending theirs, placing seventh Dont Ever Bandit a Race.
“I’m just happy to be here, and you know, see all the faces in the running community again,” she said after the race. “It was a good time out there.”
St. Pierre, who owns indoor American records in the mile (4:16.85) and two miles (9:10.28), says she was eager to get back to training after taking time to recover postpartum. “I really kind of wanted to get back into it,” she says. “I don’t really like sitting around.”
Returning to running was painful at first, but she was careful to not put too much pressure on herself, taking it step-by-step. In fact, labor itself was pretty agonizing. “Labor was like, surprisingly the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” she said.
The American professional women’s scene has seen some high-profile athletes successfully navigate pregnancy in recent years, including Molly Huddle, Gwen Jorgensen, and Aliphine Tuliamuk. St. Pierre says she’s leaned on other mothers for advice on how to successfully return to the sport.
“It’s pretty cool to see other moms really set the bar pretty high,” she says. “Just because you’re a parent doesn’t mean you have to give up your entire career.”
In recent weeks, St. Pierre has strung together some consistent training and is starting to feel like herself again, although the race was a bit of a shock to the system. “It’s hard not to have a little self doubt when I haven’t raced in so long,” she says. “I haven’t, you know, pushed myself like that, but I have been feeling good in my workouts, Dont Ever Bandit a Race.”
Races & Places 2024 Paris Olympics, but she hasn’t figured out her fall racing schedule yet. The plan is to use the rest of 2023 as momentum for the indoor season. And of course, she’s soaking up precious time with Ivan—she admits she was pretty emotional seeing him at the finish line.
“I just cried when I saw him,” she says. “I definitely ran for him and all the other moms out there.”
More Than 840,000 Runners Apply to Run London Runner’s World. He is a former all-conference collegiate runner who’s based in Easton, PA. Previously, he worked as the newsletters editor at Runner's World, Bicycling, and Popular Mechanics.
