Runner Alysia Montaño has a plethora of athletic accolades tied to her name: Three-time world champion. Seven-time U.S. National champion. Olympic bronze medalist. But Montaño is perhaps most well-known for running in the USA Nationals when she was 8 months pregnant. The image of her pregnant and running at an elite level challenged notions of pregnancy and motherhood. It also sparked her to speak out against the lack of support, including maternity leave, for athletes—a move that inspired companies like her sponsor Nike to commit to supporting moms on their roster.
Most recently, this mom of three has launched For All Mothers+, a nonprofit organization breaking down barriers for athletes and mothers. For this week’s Meet a Mom interview, we asked Alysia to share about her new initiative for women at the Winter Games, her own take as a mom on youth sports, and more.
Love the concept of For All Mothers. Can you please tell us about what you’re doing at the Winter Olympics to support moms?
Thank you! We’re excited to have partnered with Joie to provide five Team USA moms with “Bring the Babies” Grants and to award each grantee $5,000 to help offset travel and childcare costs for their family—such as airfare, lodging, caretaker expenses, and milk transport—so that these athletes can continue to compete at the highest level with the peace of mind that some logistics have been taken care of to support their mothering at the same time.
Many elite women athletes already face financial insecurities, and the mothers in that category encounter additional barriers. In collaboration with Carleton University, our recent study of mothers in professional sports revealed that 73% of mothering athletes experience a decrease, termination, or pause in funding related to pregnancy or motherhood, resulting in 72% of them needing additional income or employment outside of sport to support their family.
How did your own Olympic and running journey inspire you to help other moms?
During my career as a professional athlete training to qualify for the Olympics as a mother, I witnessed firsthand the barriers that women, particularly mothers, faced when trying to pursue both career and family aspirations. Competing at the 2014 USA Nationals at 8-months pregnant was me visually advocating for maternal protections in sports and challenging the then-common misconception that women shouldn’t exercise while pregnant, let alone be a professional athlete. It was important to me to show what a woman in my career track looked like, to make the invisible visible.
From the overwhelming response to my “stunt,” (which is weird to call it since I was just showing up as my whole self) I realized that systemic change was needed—not just for athletes, but FOR ALL MOTHERS, in all industries. I realized I could leverage the public lens of sports, my public platform, to create podium moments for other moms, to highlight the many ways female-bodied athletes are suffering from the Motherhood Penalty. Too many mothers were succumbing to early retirement, not because they are physically less capable (in many cases, they returned even stronger!), but because there were no systems in place to help them return to elite sport, such as proper healthcare, contract protections (maternity leave), or affordable childcare options.
That’s why I founded For All Mothers+, to shed light on the barriers mothers in sport face through storytelling and research, and working with governing bodies and brands that sponsor athletes to standardize systems and support infrastructure that create a clear pathway to a world where motherhood and career ambitions can coexist without compromise.
So amazing. Switching gears, what is your take on youth sports today, as a mom of three?
I have an 11-year-old daughter and two boys, who are 8 and 6, and all three of them are involved in youth sports. They play different sports each season, and I feel very strongly about kids being multi-sport athletes. That’s the hill I’ll die on.
I believe it’s really important for children to participate in a variety of sports and other activities — whether that’s music, theater, or other extracurriculars — so they can become well-rounded without being over-scheduled. At this age, I don’t believe in early specialization, and we have been doing our due diligence as parents to make sure we give them the opportunities they deserve to try new things. They’re naturally excited about sports, which has made it easy, but one rule we keep in our house is that if we start something, we finish it. Even if a season is challenging, we stick with it and work through the hard parts.
What are you most excited to watch in Italy?
I’m especially excited to watch PWHL [Professional Women’s Hockey League] athlete, mama, and incredible leader Kendall Coyne Schofield, and Lindsey Vonn in downhill skiing. She’s 41, a friend, and someone whose determination and “get after it” attitude I truly admire. Her story of returning after retirement, overcoming injuries, and continuing to give so much to the sport and her community is powerful, and I’m cheering for her entire journey, not just the outcome, which is how we should cheer for all people in their lives. We should be cheering for the holistic journey, not just if they’re going to show up 100% the day of, but the fact that they go after it no matter what.
I’m also deeply excited to cheer on the athletes For All Mothers+ has supported through our “Bring the Babies” Grants: Elana Meyers Taylor (bobsled), Kaillie Armbruster Humphries (bobsled), Kelly Curtis (skeleton slider), Tabitha Peterson Lovick (curling), and Tara Peterson (curling).
Being able to help five mother-athletes bring their children and caregivers to the Olympic and Paralympic Games is incredibly meaningful to me, especially as someone who competed in an ecosystem that didn’t really support motherhood and parenthood.
It’s a full-circle moment and it’s really beautiful to recognize the change that our nonprofit, For All Mothers+, has made in order to allow these athletes to show up as their full selves and thrive in their venue, in their sport, and at home. Just to be a small part of their story is absolutely incredible.