DuPage woman gives birth after running, walking marathon

Amber Miller said she felt a little “something” Sunday as she crossed the Chicago Marathon finish line.

That “something” turned out to be her newborn daughter June coming into the world.

Miller was 38 weeks and 5 days pregnant when taking off from the starting line early Sunday morning for the 26-mile race.

The Westchester woman said her doctor gave her clearance to half run, half walk the marathon, and she was making good time throughout the day.

After crossing the finish line at 6 hours and 25 minutes, she felt a contraction.

“A few minutes after I crossed through the finish chute, the contractions were coming a little stronger than I was used to,” she said from her hospital bed at Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield. “That’s when I figured out what was going on.”

She said she ran throughout both of her pregnancies and was used to getting contractions whenever she ran.

“The contractions became regular after we finished, so we stopped and grabbed a sandwich and then went to the hospital,” she said. “It was the longest day of my life.”

She said doctors officially have her listed in labor for 2 hours and 18 minutes before June entered the world, but said she had been having contractions since she crossed the finish line at about 3:30 p.m.

June officially was born at 10:29 p.m., weighing in at a healthy 7 pounds and 13 ounces.

“She’s absolutely perfect,” Miller said of June. “We are extremely happy, but very tired.”

Miller was scheduled to meet with area media at 10:30 a.m. Monday at the hospital.

For more details on her experience, check back at dailyherald.com or read Tuesday’s Daily Herald.