Aliphine Tuliamuk and partner welcome baby girl

On Monday morning, U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials winner Aliphine Tuliamuk and her partner, Tim Gannon, announced the birth of their daughter, Zoe Cherotich Gannon. Zoe was born on January 13, and she is the couple’s first child. The news comes just one month after Tuliamuk announced that she was pregnant, and she now has a little more than six months to recover and get back to top form ahead of the Tokyo Games, which will be her Olympic debut. 

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When Tuliamuk announced her pregnancy, she made sure to note that she would still be racing at the Olympics. In fact, Zoe arrived right on schedule, as Tuliamuk said she and Gannon had planned it this way so she would have several months to train. “Tim and I always knew that we wanted to have a family,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “The goal was post-2020 Olympics, [but] as it turned out this year had other plans, [and] by mid-April we were convinced that there will be no more races this season.” Tuliamuk said there was so much darkness caused by COVID-19, so she and Gannon created their own “light at the end of the tunnel.” 

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In her most recent post, Tuliamuk wrote that Zoe shares a birthday with Ben Rosario, Tuliamuk’s coach with the NAZ Elite squad. Zoe already appears to be an official part of that running crew, as one of the photos posted by Tuliamuk shows Zoe in a NAZ Elite shirt. Tuliamuk’s teammate and Canadian runner Rory Linkletter also recently announced that he and his wife are expecting their first child this summer, adding even more future talent to the next generation of runners. 

Our daughter Zoe Cherotich Gannon arrived on 1/13/2021 and she is absolutely perfect. Her dad and I are just so overwhelmed with joy love and gratitude, and we can’t stop staring at her?❤️
Happy Martin Luther Day to you all! pic.twitter.com/POUPSaqcie

— Aliphine Tuliamuk (@mamaZoeCherotch) January 18, 2021

Tuliamuk wrote that labour was “long but ‘easy,'” adding that she feels well enough to race already. On a more serious note, she said she expects a quick recovery, which is great news for the new mother and Olympian-to-be.

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