{"id":264012,"date":"2026-09-19T21:57:41","date_gmt":"2026-09-19T21:57:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/19\/how-the-1st-mom-and-married-woman-to-win-miss-usa-prepared-for-the-swimsuit-competition-with-kids-in-tow\/"},"modified":"2026-09-19T21:57:41","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T21:57:41","slug":"how-the-1st-mom-and-married-woman-to-win-miss-usa-prepared-for-the-swimsuit-competition-with-kids-in-tow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/19\/how-the-1st-mom-and-married-woman-to-win-miss-usa-prepared-for-the-swimsuit-competition-with-kids-in-tow\/","title":{"rendered":"How the 1st Mom and Married Woman to Win Miss USA Prepared for the Swimsuit Competition With Kids in Tow"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Miss USA 2026<\/strong><\/a> winner Justus Kelley<\/strong><\/a> has opened up about her preparation for the swimwear portion of the pageant after becoming the first married woman and mother to win.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy pageant prep, it did look different,\u201d Kelley, 31, told Fox News Digital<\/em><\/a> in an interview published on Saturday, September 19. \u201cI\u2019m not going to pretend like I was able to dedicate the same amount of time as what I did in the past. I had to get creative. [My kids\u2019] nap time was my prep time. It was late nights. It was after the bath and bed routine. I did walking classes with my baby on my chest, in his carrier. I did squats in my living room while holding my 2-year-old. I practiced interview questions while feeding my toddler.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added, \u201cThere were days when I wished I could just take the entire day to dedicate to pageant prep, but that\u2019s not where I am. That\u2019s not the season of life that I\u2019m in. And we made it work, and my family was fully on board with this experience. They know that they\u2019re along for the journey; they\u2019re along for this ride with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kelley triumphed over 50 women from around the country to win the Miss USA 2026 crown at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County in Miami on August 26. In doing so, Kelley became the first representative of the state of Virginia to win Miss USA since Deborah Shelton<\/strong> did so in 1970.<\/p>\n

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\n Miss USA 2026 Justus Kelley on stage during the 2026 Miss USA Final Competition and Coronation.<\/span> Ivan Apfel\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Arlington, Virginia, native not only made history as the first mother and married woman to take the crown but she was also the first person in her 30s to ever win Miss USA. (Kelley and her husband Tyler<\/strong> have welcomed two foster children into their home.)<\/p>\n

In 2023, Miss USA changed a rule that previously prevented women with children from competing in the pageant and removed a previous age cap of 28.<\/p>\n

\u201cKnowing that history was made as the first mom, as the first wife, as the first woman in her 30s, my first thought was how amazing it is to get to do this and to represent women from all over the country, from all over the world that resonate with, \u2018Hey, we\u2019re still dreaming,\u2019\u201d Kelley told the outlet.<\/p>\n

Kelley revealed that giving up social media allowed her crucial time to dedicate to fitness ahead of Miss USA\u2019s iconic swimwear competition.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love abductor and adductor exercises, something that I usually do on a machine at the gym,\u201d she added her exercise regimen. \u201cBut if I can\u2019t make it to the gym, I\u2019m just lying on the floor, elevating my leg and mirroring what I would\u2019ve done on that machine.\u201d<\/p>\n

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