'2 dreams came true at the same time': BYU athlete runs personal best 9 months after giving birth

PROVO — Coming across the finish line of the 800 meters at the 2026 NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Track & Field Championships on June 13 felt like mission accomplished for 23-year-old BYU track athlete Krystie Solomon-Jensen. Not only did she run a personal best of 2:01.40 on a national stage, but she also hugged her 9-month-old daughter and said, "We did it."

Solomon-Jensen, 23, is from New Zealand and came to BYU as a freshman in 2020. She married BYU hurdler Jace Jensen in 2024, and at the time, she was watching her 800-meter times drop significantly.

"I was hovering right around 2:10 in the 800 meters, and then I had these breakout races," she said.

Breakout is an understatement. In fact, she went from running 2:10.17 in December of 2023 to 2:06.83 the following month. And by May of 2024, her time dropped two more seconds to a 2:04.68.

The following winter, however, she began to feel "lethargic."

"This was kind of just something that caught me off guard," she said. "I remember I was super lethargic in a workout and I was like, something's not right."

The initial shock surrounding her pregnancy was quickly replaced with words of encouragement from family, teammates and her coach Diljeet Taylor.

"I remember the first day that I told (Coach Taylor), I was in tears," Salomon-Jensen recalled. "She immediately saw how I was reacting and knew that I was probably a little bit fearful because I didn't know what this would mean for my running career. I could see her face change and the first thing she told me was, 'Don't worry about running. You will be back.' She told me that there wasn't a doubt in her mind, so it shouldn't be a doubt in my mind. That was comforting to hear."

Throughout her pregnancy, Solomon-Jensen continued to cross-train and would spend a lot of time at the track watching her teammates complete workouts. She said she also watched several meets, and doing so, gave her the drive she needed to come back even stronger.

"I can see now, looking back, when I was watching all my teammates and friends race, I was so excited to get back," she said. "I was also really excited that I would have two dreams coming true at the same time.

"I've always wanted to be a young mum," she added. "It kind of just let itself happen on its own and so I get to fulfill both. I get to be a mom while also chasing dreams. ... I think it taught me a lot throughout the whole year that God's plan is superior. Whatever God wants will benefit me in the long run."

'You've made it here and you belong'

Solomon-Jensen gave birth to her daughter in September of 2025, and she said she will forever remember that day. While relishing the moment of motherhood, she also realized that after nine months of carrying a baby, she had her body back. She could now work toward realizing another dream: competing at nationals for BYU.

"When I gave birth, I was like, 'I don't have a baby in me anymore,'" she said. "I can have my body back and I can get back to training. So even the day that she was born, I was just excited to get the ball rolling and see what I could do."

She started running small distances just two weeks after giving birth, and her first team workout was two months postpartum, training for the indoor season.

At the time, she was finishing up her degree in psychology, and her husband was coaching the sprints team. Together, they balanced new-parent life during workouts, and she said she loved checking in on her little girl mid-rep.

"I know that many think that you need to separate motherhood and dreams, but I knew I could do both — and my coach was telling me that I could do both," she said. "My teammates were also reminding me that I was strong and I was more than capable."

That encouragement, coupled with hard work, resulted in a comeback of massive proportions.

In February of this year — just five months after giving birth, she ran a 2:09.28. A month later, she dropped another 4 seconds, and by April, she ran a personal best of 2:03.43. And in May, she qualified for Division 1 Nationals with a time of 2:02.21.

"I was really excited because I had finally made it to such a big meet, which meant I would also be running with a lot of fast people," she said. "I was excited to put in a perfect race. Honestly, I was a little bit less nervous going into this one than I had been the entire season because I was so excited to just race at this caliber racing."

The start of the 800-meter finals at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, on June 13, she said, "went out hot," adding that she started to get "kind of scared."

"As it went on, I was like, 'Yeah, this is good. I'm meant to be here. I can run this fast, and if you just hold on for as long as you can, you'll be able to be pulled to at least a personal best,'" she recalled. "The 800 is short, and really, there aren't many thoughts, but I do remember thinking, 'You've made it here and you belong,'"

She crossed the finish line in 14th place overall with a time of 2:01.40 and was named second-team All-American.

With her daughter now 9 months old, Solomon-Jensen said she's excited for what the future holds for her family — a future that will still include running.

"I would really like to represent New Zealand at the Olympics," she said.

Related topics