For the primary time in 4 years, American marathoner Emma Bates won’t run the Boston Marathon. The 33-year-old, who has twice completed as the highest American girl within the discipline, is stepping away from racing to start out a household. However in keeping with Bates, that call has already value her a sponsorship.
On Tuesday, Bates posted a video to social media sharing a number of vitamin merchandise she’s been attempting throughout her being pregnant. Within the clip, she took a shot at her former sponsor, UCAN Vitamin, saying the corporate dropped her after she advised them she was pregnant.
“Since my fuelling firm dropped me after I advised them I used to be pregnant,” Bates mentioned, pausing, “I’ve been attempting a bunch of latest gels, and I’d like to share which of them are my private favorite.”
Bates had been with the Connecticut-based sports-nutrition model for almost 4 years, a stretch that included two top-five finishes at each Boston and Chicago. She additionally ran 2:22:10 on the 2023 Boston Marathon, which is the second-fastest time ever by an American girl on that course.
She introduced her being pregnant earlier this month, revealing she took a take a look at the day after the 2025 Valencia Marathon in December after feeling “uneasy and unusually full.” Bates completed thirteenth in that race in 2:25:51.
Whereas legal guidelines range by state, pregnancy-based discrimination isn’t universally protected. In Canada, employers can’t terminate contracts as a consequence of being pregnant below the Canada Labour Code, however these protections typically don’t lengthen to impartial contractors (i.e., creators, influencers and athletes). Related legal guidelines exist in Connecticut, the place employment legal guidelines don’t apply to sponsored athletes.
UCAN says the choice got here earlier than
A spokesperson for UCAN Vitamin advised Canadian Operating that the choice to half methods with Bates got here months earlier than any information of her being pregnant. “The partnership selections have been made in September 2025 as part of common enterprise planning. We made an effort to proceed working with Emma below a brand new settlement, however Emma in the end selected to not transfer ahead with that choice.”
UCAN is a sports activities vitamin firm constructed across the idea of slow-release carbohydrates, designed to offer regular power with out sugar spikes or GI misery. In response to its web site, the model continues to sponsor American marathoners Sara Corridor and Dakotah Popehn. Corridor can be a mom of 4.
The spokesperson added that the corporate stays dedicated to supporting all athletes at each stage of life, together with being pregnant and motherhood.
