Who is Emma Bates? US marathon runner pregnancy revelation triggers UCan dispute as timeline clash raises serious questions

Emma Bates has made a serious claim, and it has quickly caught attention across the running world. The American marathon runner said her longtime sponsor, UCan, dropped her soon after she told them she was pregnant.

Bates, who is 33, shared this in a social media video on Tuesday, saying she has now been trying new energy gels after losing that deal. She had worked with the company for three years. But according to her, things changed right after she shared her pregnancy news. Bates had announced on March 5 that she and her partner, runner Steve Finley, are expecting a baby. What makes this even more surprising is that she had already run the Valencia Marathon while in the early stage of her pregnancy, finishing with a time of 2:25:51.

However, UCan has strongly pushed back on her claim and shared a very different version of what happened.

Emma Bates and UCan dispute over pregnancy claim brings back past issues faced by Alysia Montaño and Allyson Felix

UCan said the decision to end its partnership with Emma Bates was made in September 2025, months before they knew about her pregnancy. In a statement, the company said this was part of normal business planning. They also said they offered her a new deal, but she chose not to accept it.Bates’ representative, Matt Sonnenfeldt from Flynn Sports Management, told Front Office Sports that talks continued even after September.

He said the company made an offer in December and later changed it, which does not match UCan’s timeline.

Emma Bates is one of the top long-distance runners in the United States. She finished second at the Chicago Marathon 2021 and placed eighth at the Boston Marathon last year. Her personal best of 2:23:18 ranks among the fastest in US history.She also works with Asics, which confirmed to Front Office Sports that her contract stays the same during her pregnancy.

The company said it supports athletes through pregnancy and their return to racing.This situation has brought back memories of past cases. Runner Alysia Montaño once raced while eight months pregnant and later spoke out against Nike for not supporting her financially during that time. She later moved to Asics but said her pay was still reduced when her performance dropped.Olympian Allyson Felix also shared in a 2019 New York Times article that Nike wanted to cut her pay by 70 percent after she became a mother. She described it as a “terrifying time” while dealing with contract talks and a difficult pregnancy.After these stories became public, many companies reviewed how they treat female athletes during pregnancy. Now, Emma Bates’ case is again raising the same questions about support, fairness, and trust between athletes and sponsors.