Laura Nielsen (DeMarco) and her husband, Rudy, own Outlaw CrossFit in Alexandria, Va. Although she placed 22nd in the 2010 CrossFit Games, she was pregnant for the 2011 Games season and didn't compete. She has since had her son, Deacon.
Nielsen says balancing being a mom, running an affiliate, and finding opportunities to work out is a challenge, but she enjoys having her son around during competition and training.
“As he gets older and he can actually watch, it’s gonna be even better,” she says.
Just two-and-a-half months after giving birth, Nielsen competed in the 2011 Mid-Atlantic Hopper Challenge and took first place with her affiliate team.
“It was hard coming back at first, especially because I was on bed rest,” she says. “It’s good to get back in it.”
Nielsen plans to continue training and hopes to make it back to the Games as an individual or with her affiliate team.
“You can come back from anything. Having a kid is not a reason to stop. So you just keep training during your pregnancy. You show people what you can do. You come back from it,” she says. “It’s just fodder for getting more people in, too—you’ve gotta show what people are capable of doing.”
6min 28sec
Additional reading: An Ever So Optimistic Journey.