American marathoner says brand dropped her because she’s pregnant

March 24, 2026

For the first time in four years, American marathonerEmma Bates will not run the Boston Marathon. The 33-year-old, who has twice finished as the top American woman in the field, is stepping away from racing to start a family. But according to Bates, that decision has already cost her a sponsorship.

On Tuesday, Bates posted a video to social media sharing several nutrition products she’s been trying during her pregnancy. In the clip, she took a shot at her former sponsor, UCAN Nutrition, saying the company dropped her after she told them she was pregnant.

“Since my fuelling company dropped me when I told them I was pregnant,” Bates said, pausing, “I have been trying a bunch of new gels, and I’d love to share which ones are my personal favourite.”

Bates had been with the Connecticut-based sports-nutrition brand for nearly four years, a stretch that included two top-five finishes at both Boston and Chicago. She also ran 2:22:10 at the 2023 Boston Marathon, which is the second-fastest time ever by an American woman on that course.

She announced her pregnancy earlier this month, revealing she took a test the day after the 2025 Valencia Marathon in December after feeling “uneasy and unusually full.” Bates finished 13th in that race in 2:25:51.

While laws vary by state, pregnancy-based discrimination is not universally protected. In Canada, employers cannot terminate contracts due to pregnancy under the Canada Labour Code, but those protections generally do not extend to independent contractors (i.e., creators, influencers and athletes).

A spokesperson for UCAN Nutrition told Canadian Running that the decision to part ways with Bates came months before any knowledge of her pregnancy. “The partnership decisions were made in September 2025 as a part of regular business planning. We made an effort to continue working with Emma under a new agreement, but Emma ultimately chose not to move forward with that option.” Canadian Running