Olympian Who Ran Marathon 6 Months Postpartum Says Course Was 'Stroller-Friendly,' Had 'Breastfeeding Accommodations' (Exclusive)

Molly Huddle runs the Every Womans Marathon
Credit: Every Woman’s Marathon

"As a new mom, there were so many thoughtful things. I saw someone running with a stroller, and the course was stroller-friendly," Huddle shares. "I was still breastfeeding my daughter, so I noticed there were breastfeeding accommodations, keeping your milk fresh and cold. They provided material for that, and there were the lactation spaces at the expo."

For her, each part of the marathon experience felt like "a space for women created by women."

"You can tell the leadership was very much composed of women, thinking of what we would want and need," she adds. "There were tons of bathroom stops. I definitely used the bathroom twice during the race, so you never had to panic, and looking for a bathroom is another great idea. Little details like that, you could tell it was made for a good race experience, honestly, and a fun race experience."

The race itself has "more of a fun vibe" than the typical races she competes in.

"On the starting line, I kept noticing a lot of body glitter, which you don't usually see at the elite field of a race. I regretted not getting some; my daughter would've liked that," Huddle says. "I ran half of it with some friends who are in the running industry and were trying to rub off some body glitter on me."

After the race, she shares that she walked away "feeling included in that space."

"As an elite runner, I've always felt included, but I've never realized how intimidating it was for other people to do not only road races, but also marathons," she tells PEOPLE. "I feel like I'm only going through the postpartum phase. I traveled through all those other phases where you're like, 'Oh, it is intimidating. I'm not really ready yet, but I do still wanna be out there, and I need a bridge for that level.' It was cool seeing all that firsthand."

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She says the race was "eye-opening," and now she thinks about other races in the same context.

"I definitely notice now at other races, 'Is this set up in a way that is like that? Were there women having a say in how this race was set up? Are there accommodations? Is this family-friendly? Is this friendly for new runners?' "

Molly Huddle in the NYC Half Marathon
Credit: Andy Lyons/Getty

Ultimately, she says, "I think the response was really positive and I think other races are taking inspiration from that," Huddle shares.

She says that the vibe for the race was "definitely more fun and relaxed." A few of the other runners were surprised to see the Olympian running with them, and Huddle even spoke with other elite runners who said they were running the race for more of a fun, relaxed experience, too.

She says it was "a fun run to do" and she needed "something that I can focus on every day."

"I need some kind of challenge I'm working towards, whether it's work, whether it's running, whether it's just a side hobby. Especially in motherhood, those days are filled with, honestly, a lot of minutiae," she says. "I feel like every day my training was really good for my brain and centering me and bringing me back to myself during that time."

Read the original article on People