“Racing Kona and pumping made me really proud”

Jacqui Giuliano (35-39 age-group) is based in Illinois, USA, and is a wife, mum of twin boys, and a 16-time Ironman finisher.

After giving birth to her twin boys in July 2022, Jacqui worked with her medical team to make it to the start line of the 2022 Ironman World Championship just three months postpartum. Over to Jacqui to detail the how and why…

Jacqui’s sporting background

I started my endurance sports career as a runner. My parents 
were both runners and traveled 
the U.S. to do marathons, it made me want to be an athlete. I ran collegiately but was frequently injured and used biking and swimming to cross-train.

I met 
my husband through sport and he coached me for my first half-Ironman over a decade ago, the Buffalo Springs 70.3 in Texas.

I missed the Kona slot in my age-group by one position at that race. It lit a fire in me – I knew I wanted to race Kona one day.

The quest to race Kona

Since then, I’ve done 16 Ironmans, but my most memorable one is Kona 2022 because I raced it just three months after giving birth to my twin boys, Jackson and Jacob.

I asked my pelvic floor physical therapist if my idea to race it was crazy – to race the Ironman World Championship 12 weeks postpartum. I wanted to race, but being healthy for my boys was the most important thing. Luckily they said it was definitely doable.

I also had a friend who raced a few months after having one of her kids – she was an invaluable resource for me during my decision-making process.

Training for Kona while pregnant

My longest Kona training run pre-birth was 17 miles at 17 weeks pregnant. While pregnant, I would ride my bike aerobically with one harder ride a week.

I stopped swimming early on because my lower back and legs couldn’t handle the weight of my front.

Training for Kona postpartum

I returned to activity about two-and-a-half weeks postpartum. I power-walked and rode my Peloton, which has a more padded saddle than my tri bike.

I felt no rush to return to training and enjoyed the process. I was lucky that my parents helped watch the twins so I could fit in training. My longest ride postpartum and before Kona was four hours and all went well.

Racing Kona while pumping

My only goals for Kona were to beat my slowest-ever Ironman swim, bike, and run times. As soon as I got out of the water from the swim and saw I’d beaten my swim time I knew it’d be a good day.

I ended up running a 3:28hr marathon and finishing in 11:34hrs, with stopping to pump for 15 minutes each time in T1 and T2.

All the women in the change tent were very supportive when they saw me pumping. Ironman gave 
me an area to sit and my husband could wait outside so that I could return my milk to him.

Advice for women wanting to race postpartum

My advice for other women wanting to race postpartum is to seek out advice. I could not have attempted the journey to Kona postpartum without my physical therapist or the women who have been through the same experience and assured me I could do it.

Hearing that other women have done similar challenges built me up and gave me the confidence I needed to get to the Kona start line.

Jacqui spoke to endurance sports journalist Kristin Jenny, who has written for Triathlete Magazine, Women’s Running Magazine, and Cycling Weekly.