A Canadian trail runner has achieved an incredible feat by winning Britain's biggest ultramarathon, despite stopping to breastfeed her baby along the way.
Stephanie Case, who started the Ultra Trail Snowdonia 100km in the UK 30 minutes behind elite competitors, didn't expect to take the top spot, having lost her trail-running ranking during a tough fertility journey.
The race, which includes 20,700ft (6,300m) of climbing, kicked off at 4.30am GMT for the runners with elite bibs. However, Case, who stopped to meet partner John Roberts at aid and refueling stations along the route to breastfeed six-month-old daughter Pepper, manage to catch the elite women. Incredibly, she completed the 103k distance in a time of 16:53:22, beating the UK’s Lauren Graham and Hoka athlete Kimino Miyazaki of Japan.
"My goals were to enjoy myself and make sure Pepper was fed at aid stations. As I no longer have a UTMB index, I started in the last wave, 30 min after the leaders. Sure, I had hundreds of runners in front of me, but I could go at my own pace in blissful ignorance of my placing," Case revealed afterwards in an Instagram post.
"It truly was like riding a bike - every kilometre that passed reminded me that I hadn’t lost a thing over these past three years. In fact, I have gained way more joy and strength from this sport as a mom than I ever did before. While it broke my heart to leave little Pepper at the aid stations, I wanted to show her - both of us - how amazing mom runners can be."
Case, who had lost her elite status due to a tough, three-year fertility journey, was intending to use the race as a warmup for the Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run in Colorado, which takes place July 11, 2025.
She had endured recurrent miscarriages and multiple IVF failures, questioning at times whether it was her stressful career in the humanitarian aid sector that was interfering with her dream to have a child. She asked in an emotive social media post: "I’ve given up running and racing in trying have a family with my partner. Do I have to give up my job too?"
Case is now very much looking to the future and it seems that she's in great physical and mental shape.
"Whether you are thinking of being a mom, are pregnant, or are a new mom yourself, don’t be afraid to keep setting big goals for yourself. Everyone has an opinion about what new moms should or shouldn’t be doing, and that doesn’t open up a lot of space for 'out there' ideas like running an ultra," she said.
"Should I spend this much time away from my baby? Is it harmful for my body? What about my milk supply? My coach @drmeganroche helped me navigate these questions and the social pressures that come with being a new mom runner, but we need to work together to remove the pressure in the first place and provide more support."
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