Toronto/CMEDIA: A Canadian runner, Stephanie Case was able to both compete and win her first ultramarathon in three years this past weekend at the Ultra-Trail Snowdonia race in Eryri, Wales.
Her marvellous achievement is that she did it while taking time to breastfeed her six-month-old daughter.
Case, a human rights lawyer and ultrarunner is hoping her latest racing achievement will inspire new moms to do things that “make them feel human again.”
Born in Kingston, Ontario, Case grew up in Toronto and Oakville and now lives in Chamonix, France.
“I was never very sporty growing up – I was a total school nerd… and shy.. I didn’t come back to running until quite a bit later in life,” she reportedly said.
Despite setting records and reaching the podium at the Hardrock 100 in 2022, Case spent three years away from running after struggling with fertility issues.
“I suffered two miscarriages and then went through three rounds of IVF in order to be able to get to the stage of having a successful pregnancy…While there’s no research that shows that [running impacted my fertility], it did change my relationship with it. I ended up feeling quite guilty and was filled with doubt every time I put on my running shoes.”
Although Case said she didn’t want to put any pressure on herself to come back to running after having her baby, but her surprise win in Wales has since made Case the subject of international media attention.
.“As I started to run again postpartum at about six weeks, I started to get those benefits from being out on the trails again…I realized that actually…can set a higher goal for myself….Why do I have to set the bar low at just participating? If I fail, I fail, but at least I will have tried, she said.
She finished the 100-kilometre Ultra-Trail Snowdonia race in 16 hours, 53 minutes, and 22 seconds and she did it starting 30 minutes behind the first group of elite runners and while also utilizing her two aid checkpoints to breastfeed Pepper – plus an extra one granted specially to Case solely for breastfeeding with no aid.
“When you run and you complete races, you get a score – an index – and often, when you are signing up for races, your score will indicate where you can start in the field…I haven’t raced in quite a while, I had no index, so it was like I was starting from ground zero…I needed to pick my way through,” Case explained.
Case says she’s still not sure about her plan for racing the Hardrock 100 next month alongside breastfeeding Pepper, but she’s happy the interest in her recent achievement shone a spotlight on what new moms are capable of – in any shape or form.
“I’m incredibly happy if what I did this past weekend has helped to inspire other new moms, but I just want to make sure it doesn’t feed into this narrative that moms have to and should be doing it all,” Case said.
“Doing it all means keeping yourself healthy and happy and keeping your baby healthy and happy. Whether you are chilling out on the couch or running a 100-kilometre race, it’s different for every person. So, I just want to make sure I’m not setting an impossible standard. I think it’s important to set big goals if that’s what you want to do but also give yourself a break if that’s what you need.”
