One mom, one stroller, one sprint up a hill: Morgan Skopec running Brady Street Sprints

“I’m expecting to get last,’’ said Skopec, whose qualifying time was about 27 seconds slower than any of the other qualifiers in her division.

Of course, none of those other women made the quarter-mile charge up the daunting Brady Street Hill while pushing a stroller with a rambunctious 1-year-old inside. Skopec will do it that way again in the finals, which is why she’s so sure that victory is completely out of the question.

Skopec, 35, was third in the same age group in the 2023 sprints, but she was nine months pregnant when the event rolled around last year. She noticed there were very few women running in the qualifying races, so she figured she’d give it a shot.

“In hindsight, it was really tough,’’ she said. “You’re running with 30 extra pounds.’’

Skopec was unable to run in the 2025 finals, though. About a week after qualifying, she gave birth to a daughter, Daisy. Now, she is intrigued by the idea of going “full circle’’ and running up the hill with Daisy one more time.

Skopec, who ran at Pleasant Valley High School and St. Ambrose University back when she was Megan Meseke, checked with Quad-City Times Bix 7 officials to make sure they were OK with her hauling her stroller out there. They had no objections.

She admitted that she is not without apprehensions, though.

“I’ve done the sprints while not being pregnant or not pushing a stroller, and it’s pretty nerve-wracking and scary when there’s like 1,000 people watching you and it’s on TV,’’ she said.

But she’s also hopeful that she can make some sort of statement.

“Most importantly, I just want to show parents that kids don’t necessarily have to interrupt our sports, our schedules,’’ she said. “We just do everything we can to balance everything. My only hope is that maybe people will find it motivating or inspiring. I’m probably dead last, but I will have fun, Daisy will have fun and I think my friends along the street will have fun. It will be a hoot.’’