'You could call it resistance training': How pregnancy and motherhood inspired Jessica Stenson's career prime
When Jessica Stenson and her husband decided to start a family, the Olympic marathon runner felt — and was at peace with the feeling — that there was a "good chance" the prime of her career could well be in the past.
Her prime, it's turned out, has come with kids running and crawling around.
"I think the process of being pregnant and having a baby, and then the perspective that I've been given as a mum, has benefited me to the point where I think my performances have been better as a result," says Stenson, speaking with Wide World of Sports in the days after breaking the Australian marathon record.
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Jessica Stenson in action in the Valencia Marathon last Sunday. She clocked 2:21:24 to break the Australian marathon record. Supplied
"That period away from the sport, I think, has benefits in that not only do you get to give your body a rest and your mind a rest, you get really hungry for it again ... You realise how much you love it and you miss it, and so I think when you do get back into it, you've got this renewed motivation.
"And every time I line up to race, I sort of think, 'Well, any result is a bonus'. I don't feel like I need it [a strong result], or like I'm seeking happiness.
"It's certainly fulfilling [achieving running goals], but I think there'd be parents out there who would say they feel fulfilled and their life feels quite whole without needing those results. And so that can free you up mentally as well, I think."
Stenson, 38, finished the Valencia Marathon last Sunday in two hours, 21 minutes, 24 seconds (2:21:24).
The South Australian took 10 seconds off the record set by her close friend Sinead Diver in the 2022 Valencia Marathon.
Stenson claimed the record in the 20th marathon of her career. She has run the four fastest marathons of her career since giving birth to Billy in 2019, and her three fastest marathons since having Ellie in 2023.
Jessica Stenson with her husband Dylan, son Billy and daughter Ellie in Adelaide in 2024. Getty
Her personal best was 2:25:59 at the time of her first pregnancy. Since then, she's run a 2:25:15 in Perth, a 2:24:01 in South Korea, a 2:22:56 in Tokyo, and her record-breaking 2:21:24 in Spain.
She's also produced her best Olympic performance since becoming a mum, both by place and time, finishing 12th in the Paris Games marathon in 2:26:24.
There's a developing school of thought that pregnancy can bring about positive physiological changes in distance runners, through the production of certain hormones and an increase in blood volume.
"You're pumping double the blood volume around at some point in your pregnancy," Stenson says, "so you'd imagine your heart has got to be pretty strong to do that."
And as Stenson notes, with a chuckle, there's got to be some benefit in lugging around a growing human.
"The strength you get from your day-to-day activities when you're pregnant and carrying 20-plus extra kilos when you give birth — you could call it resistance training," Stenson laughs.
"And you certainly get a strong upper body as well, carrying a baby around."
Asked what she considers the highlight of her career so far, Stenson picks out three: winning Commonwealth Games gold in Birmingham in 2022 (she makes special mention of the training camp in St Moritz that came before it), her run at the Paris Olympics, and breaking the national marathon record.
In her sights is running at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. She will become a four-time Olympian if she competes in LA, after her runs at London 2012, Rio 2016 and Paris 2024, all in the marathon.
"When Dylan and I decided to start a family in 2019, I thought there was a good chance I wouldn't get back to my best," she says.
Stenson after winning gold in the marathon at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. AP
"I was comfortable with that idea because of the pull to become a mum being such a big factor.
"There are times when I've had doubts [about her running career since becoming a mum], and at times it does all feel too hard.
"I've had a great team around me to help me through."
Many of Australia's top marathon runners are mums. Among them are Stenson, Diver, Genevieve Gregson, Eloise Wellings and Ellie Pashley.
Stenson sought guidance and inspiration in Diver and Wellings, who were already mums when she started her own family.
She also looked up to legendary Australian marathon runner Kerryn McCann, British icon Paula Radcliffe and Irish great Sonia O'Sullivan.
"They all showed what's possible," Stenson says.
Looking ahead, she's burning with hunger.
Stenson crossing the finish line in her record-breaking run in Valencia. Supplied
"I had a dream when I started marathon running at the age of 24 — I sort of put it out there as a big dream to chase the Australian marathon record, but it probably stood there more as inspiration to keep pushing my limits and trying to get the most out of myself. I didn't necessarily think I'd reach that destination," Stenson says.
"So now that I'm there, I'm glad that I still feel inspired to keep going.
"You don't know how you're gonna feel if you achieve a big goal like that, but I've really been enjoying running so it certainly hasn't given me a sense of, 'All right, we can stop now'.
"I know the important role that running plays in my life, so I wanna keep going."
