Setting an example of extreme fitness, pregnant Amber Miller, 27, ran the 26.2-mile-long Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Sunday while enduring contractions. She then gave birth to a healthy baby girl named June at Central DuPage Hospital in Chicago only hours after crossing the finish line.

Although the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists allows a pregnant woman to perform moderate to strenuous exercise as long as she can hold a conversation, the general reaction to Miller’s participation in the race was disbelief and disapproval.

“It was very interesting hearing people’s reaction,” Miller said. “I’ve been running up to this point anyway, so I’m used to it.”

After seven marathons Miller was hardly a clueless novice putting her own or her baby’s well-being at risk. In fact, she ran two other marathons while pregnant– the first one while expecting June’s older brother Caleb and the second when she was 17 weeks pregnant with June. As a result, she felt comfortable going into the race with the backup plan of walking the second part. Moreover, she was accompanied by her husband.

Not surprisingly it took Miller almost twice her regular race time for this distance with a total of 6.5 hours. Yet, she has proven that fitness does not have to end with pregnancy as long as mother and baby are in good health. For more information on fitness during pregnancy visit the official web site of the The American Congress of Obstetritians and Gynocologists.