Athlete Who Raced While Pregnant Gives Birth to Baby Girl

— -- The athlete who made headlines for running an 800-meter race later in her pregnancy has given birth to a healthy baby girl.

Alysia Montaño, 28, gave birth Friday to Linnéa Dori Montaño, her first child with husband Louis Montaño.

In an interview with ABC News on Tuesday, the California resident said she felt great.

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“I mean, I had the birth that I wanted … my natural birth, no meds at all,” she said, adding that believed she achieved her goal of remaining “mentally intact, physically intact.”

Her goal is to now ease back into her regular fitness routine. In two weeks she’ll start doing daily 20- to 30- minute runs and progress gradually from there, she said.

Since being released from the hospital 12 hours after the delivery, she has been going on leisurely daily walks of about a mile, she said, adding that she isn’t overdoing things.

Many questioned her decision to run the 800-meter race at the US Track and Field Championships in June. The five-time national champion came last in that race.

She told ABC News that she was surprised by the reaction to her participation in that event.

“That’s what I do for a living -- and it was so mild compared to what I normally do,” she said. “It was just kind of a stroll for me … .”

She said she checked with her doctors and was told it wouldn’t be a problem, adding that it was important for her mentally and physically.

In fact, she remained physically active right up until the day she gave birth.

“Well the day I delivered, the day I went into labor I ran five miles,” she said.

She labored for about eight hours before delivering the baby.

Montaño noted that she went into her pregnancy and labor without fear because of her husband’s support. She called him the unsung hero.

“He was such an amazing birthing partner. We labored together in the house and he was just a rock the entire time. You know like, nobody’s perfect but he was perfect on that day. He was perfect …,” she said.