Laura Kenny nursed her baby daughter, Lily, immediately after finishing the London Marathon on Sunday. She ran the race to raise funds for The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust.
The 34-year-old Olympic cyclist, married to fellow cyclist Jason, experienced a miscarriage in November 2021 and an ectopic pregnancy five months afterward.
An ectopic pregnancy happens when a fertilized egg implants and grows outside the uterus, most often in a fallopian tube. This is a serious condition that usually needs immediate surgery.
Laura Kenny has three children with Jason: Albie, eight, Monty, four, and Lily, 12 months.
She ran the marathon to support a cause that was very important to her, and afterwards posted a photo on Instagram with her children.
Laura shared that she finished the London Marathon in 3 hours and 45 minutes. She admitted it wasn’t enjoyable, despite completing it, and joked about her usual running pace!
I ran for a cause that’s deeply personal to me – ectopic pregnancy – and I’ll keep sharing our story. Now, we can help others facing the same challenges.
I didn’t bother taking typical pictures, as I didn’t realize it would matter. Here’s a photo of me after dealing with the media, and about twenty minutes after I finished… naturally, while Lily was being fed.
Following the race, she shared with Stylist magazine about the deep and ongoing sadness she experienced after suffering an ectopic pregnancy and a miscarriage.
She explained that the financial losses severely damaged her marriage, and she and Jason stopped communicating effectively.
After experiencing an ectopic pregnancy, Laura found herself withdrawing and becoming silent. While she doesn’t often use the term, she described it as the most profoundly difficult time of her life.
Our relationship hit a low point then. We were constantly bickering over small issues, like the dishwasher, because we both struggled to communicate our true feelings.
After that, Laura and Jason had a deeply difficult conversation. Laura explained that not only was her own life and health in danger, but Jason had also suffered the loss of their babies.
She explained that they decided to plant a tree and a rosebush – complete with a small angel ornament – near Albie’s playroom, hoping it would help them begin to heal from their ongoing sadness.
In the UK around one in every 90 pregnancies is ectopic – the equivalent of around 11,000 per year.
Although the exact causes aren’t known, inflammation or scarring within the fallopian tubes can make problems more likely.
In a 2024 interview with Women’s Health, Laura shared how experiencing a miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy shifted her priorities, making her desire for a baby stronger than any athletic achievement.
The cyclist, who retired from competition in March 2024, shared that she struggled with the conflict between her physical strength and her desire to have a child. She felt frustrated that while she could push her body to its limits in her sport, she was unable to conceive.
She shared that she was deeply saddened for over a year, explaining that she was a completely different person during that time – even her husband, Jase, could confirm how much she had changed.
I really had to focus on my own feelings because the situation was overwhelming. More than anything, I longed for a baby – achievements like winning medals or competing in events like the Commonwealth Games weren’t important to me at that time. I just desperately wanted to start a family, and it wasn’t working out.
Laura won a silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, a year after experiencing an ectopic pregnancy and before giving birth to her second son. However, she confessed that the victory didn’t bring her joy.
She wondered why her body wouldn’t cooperate with what she wanted most, questioning the reason behind its limitations.
‘I felt like I was living in this yin and yang world where you could only have one of them.
As an athlete, I was used to being completely in control of my body. So, when that changed, it felt like everything was suddenly taken away from me. It was incredibly frustrating because I couldn’t do anything to fix it.
She doesn’t want to call what she went through depression, but she admitted it was the most difficult time of her life. She said she wouldn’t want to label herself, but she felt completely at her lowest point, and it was a huge mental challenge.
Laura also opened up about how the miscarriage affected her husband.
‘No one asked him if he was okay, and how he was feeling,’ she explained.
I realize now that I relied on Jase a lot and talked at him more than with him, without ever stopping to ask how he was doing.
Honestly, it took a really long time for him to open up and finally share just how much pain he was in. It was heartbreaking to hear, but so important that he finally felt safe enough to talk about it.
In March 2024, Laura announced her retirement from cycling, explaining it was difficult being away from her children and she missed being with her family.
She shared that while it’s possible to be both a top athlete and a mother, it requires significant sacrifice. She also acknowledged that she didn’t perform at her peak during the Tokyo Olympics due to the challenges of balancing both roles.
Achieving something great often requires sacrifice, and the journey won’t always be smooth. I definitely wasn’t at my absolute peak going into the Tokyo competition – I wasn’t fully prepared.
My so-called rest days weren’t restful at all, and being home didn’t mean relaxing like it used to with Jase. I was constantly busy – bouncing on the trampoline, playing in the sandpit, and so on. So, was it more challenging? Definitely. But that doesn’t mean it has to be a negative change.
Laura explained that having her second child, Monty, shifted her perspective as an athlete.
She shared that feeling pregnant again felt like a special gift, and because of that, it was incredibly difficult for her to leave her baby.
‘I couldn’t leave him for training sessions because, why would I? All I wanted was him.’
Laura has shared that she had to leave her son, Albie, at home when she went to the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 because of Covid-19 rules, and she found it very difficult.
I generally don’t cry, and apparently, the only time my son, Albie, remembers seeing me upset was when I had to go away for the Olympics.
It felt absolutely devastating, like someone had torn my heart out and discarded it. It was a truly awful experience. I remember texting Jase from the Athletes’ Village, just hoping I would never feel that kind of pain again.
In May 2025, they had their third child, a daughter named Lily. She shared at the time that their family was now complete.
If you need specialist support now, visit baby loss charity Tommy’s.
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2026-04-28 12:04