Air Force sergeant pens op-ed about decision to pump breastmilk during Ironman race

An Air Force staff sergeant who went viral for pumping breastmilk while running an Ironman triathlon said in an op-ed published Tuesday that she’s hopeful her story inspires other women to accomplish their goals.

Jaime Sloan, 34, took part in a triathlon in Tempe, Ariz., last month, seven months after she gave birth to her second child. She wrote in an op-ed for ABC News that racing helped her cope with post-partum anxiety and vowed to participate in the race despite needing to pump milk for her newborn.

{mosads}”Becoming nervous about pumping in public, I considered turning back to transition, but then I saw my family cheering for me, got a kiss from my kids, and I felt energized and supported,” she wrote. “My kids motivated me because I want them to know nothing should keep them from reaching their goals.”

Sloan wrote that she completed the Ironman — which consists of a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike race and a 13.1-mile run — in personal record time, and a photo of her pumping while on the course circulated around the internet earlier this month.

“In the end, I did what was right for me and blew my goal out of the water,” Sloan wrote. “I hope that by hearing my story, women are encouraged to listen to not only their bodies but their hearts when it comes to reaching their goals because anything is possible.”