Latest news with #Snowdonia
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
‘I'm open about how hard it is': Stephanie Case breastfed her baby in 100km race and still won
In Chamonix Stephanie Case is swaying the sway of a new mother. Pepper, her baby, is cocooned in a sling, defying sleep and gurgling politely over the video call. They became viral sensations last month when ultrarunner Stephanie won the women's section of the Snowdonia ultra-trail, a 100km race with 21,000ft of ascent, while stopping to breastfeed Pepper en route. It was an extraordinary achievement six months after giving birth and slots into an extraordinary life – on the one hand, a human rights lawyer, working in warzones around the world; on the other, an ultrarunner, whose charity, Free to Run, empowers young women and girls in areas of conflict. Case is desperate the race is not held up as something to beat new mothers with. 'The response has been so positive, but there has been a negative cohort,' she says. 'Part of those are just misogynists, but the others are exhausted mums who look at this story and think, oh my God, I could never do that. Now there's even more pressure on us to be able to have a baby and work and run races and now breastfeed during races. 'I don't want anyone to feel badly about themselves out of a story like this. I'm quite open about how hard it is and how much support I have, and the messy parts of it. At 95k I was done, dry heaving and peeing all over myself. I ran with devices internally. It's not all rainbows and bunnies and a lot of things have to come together for something like that to happen.' She praises French maternal healthcare – a week in hospital and then 10 sessions with the midwife doing pelvic floor rehab 'which is weird and intimate but so helpful. Luckily, people who are in the health field around Chamonix are used to dealing with athletes so I have lots of tricks to help me.' Case was running six weeks after Pepper's birth, but everything had changed. She now had to fit her schedule around a baby, circling back to slot in a feed. 'When you exercise, lactic acid gets into your breast milk. It doesn't change the nutritional value, but it does change the taste. I think she just got used to it and dealing with me being sweaty. 'It was more learning how to calm myself down and not come in anxious because then she'd pick up on that energy. I had to shut off that I was in the middle of a training block. I had to do the same in the race and just focus on trying to feed her.' Despite the photos from Snowdonia of a beaming Case and a bonny Pepper, the road to conception has been hard. The 42-year-old had two miscarriages, then two egg retrievals and three rounds of IVF. The process confused her relationship with running, something she had come to rely on to cope with the stress of her job. 'It can be very difficult to process some of the things I witness and the stories I hear. I find the best way to deal with those situations is to process it through movement. When I'm out on the trails, I can see black garbage coming out of my head and littering the trails behind me and then it's done.' After the first miscarriage, well-meaning friends questioned whether running could have played a part and it planted a seed of doubt in her head that became impossible to budge. Desperate to become pregnant, she started to pull back from running. 'It was very destabilising because that was a core part of my identity. Not just who I am, but how I lived my life. 'My year was structured around my race calendar and suddenly there was no race calendar. When I got pregnant and miscarried the second time, people questioned whether it was the stress of my job that caused the miscarriage. I used to use running to deal with stress so I felt like I couldn't win.' Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion Before returning to her home in Chamonix for the last trimester of her pregnancy, Case had been based in Jerusalem for the three and a half years, covering Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza. She spent the beginning of 2024 in Gaza as part of the humanitarian response, meeting women who had just given birth on the floor of a shelter and were living in tents without proper nutrition. 'It was quite hard for me to ask my body to produce a life and that's exactly what I was trying to do. It felt impossible.' But, against all odds, the vagaries of IVF worked and Pepper was born in November. Snowdonia was Case's first race in three years. It will not come a surprise to learn that Case is not planning on taking it easy any time soon. As part of the North Face explorer team, she has made a documentary film about fertility and running, due out in the autumn, is running in the Hard Rock 100 in Colorado in July and a return to work beckons. All pretty extraordinary, especially for a self-confessed school nerd who played in the wind band and was so embarrassed after doing well in a cross-country race as a nine-year-old that she went bright red and withdrew from sport for a decade.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
New mother wins 100-kilometre ultra marathon despite breast feeding her six-month-old daughter three times on the way
A new mother won an 100km ultra marathon despite breast feeding her six-month-old daughter along the way. Stephanie Case, 42, is no stranger to long-distance running but this mammoth undertaking along the 62-mile Ultra-Trail in Snowdonia was a little different to her usual challenges. The human rights lawyer had her new baby Pepper with her and rather than gobbling down some pizza and gulping a Coca-Cola in one of the pit stop stations, Ms Case instead focused her attention and energy on feeding her newborn. And the breaks to breast-feed didn't stop Ms Case from achieving victory and indeed Pepper proved to be her lucky charm. Not only did the new mother cross the finish line, but she did so in her fastest time yet - despite starting 30 minutes behind her competitors. After factoring in her longer breaks, the lawyer crossed the line in a final time of 16 hours, 53 minutes and 22 seconds. After crossing the line, her husband John and Pepper were shocked to find out that she had won a few minutes ahead of the runner-up and Ms Case described the race as 'the best time'. She told The Times: 'I was just so relieved that I didn't know that because it would have put a lot of pressure and stress on my race. And I just had the best time. I had the best time out there, just running completely ignorant of where I was and just going by how my body felt.' She added that she hopes one day she can show Pepper what she was part of and take her through the photos from the monumental day. 'I knew it was past Pepper's bedtime, but it was great. I can't wait until she grows up and I can show her the photos of what we did together'.,' she added. Ms Case's run was a cause for celebration not only for her impressive time but also because it was her first run after struggling with multiple miscarriages and three rounds of IVF before the joyful birth of her daughter. The chief of protection for UNRWA in Jerusalem was forced to scale back her running after a miscarriage three years ago. The Canadian lawyer, who now lives in Chamonix, France, revealed that she discovered she was pregnant after coming second in the over southern Colorado's San Juan Range. Despite her joy, the pregnancy sadly resulted in a miscarriage and Ms Case said that while there was no medical evidence to suggest that running had contributed to it, she decided to stop for a short while. After a second miscarriage Ms Chase discovered she was pregnant for a third time with her daughter Pepper who she welcomed in November. Six weeks after welcoming Pepper, the Canadian re-connected with running and started up again with the help of her midwife and her running coach Megan Roche. Ms Case said: 'Being able to just get back outside and reconnect with that running identity part of me was so important for my physical and mental health in this very vulnerable postpartum period.'
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘Beautiful locations to learn in': readers' favourite creative breaks
Wider Horizons is an outdoor gathering in Berkshire dedicated to reigniting young attendees' (18 to 30 years old) creative spark through workshops, music, ceremony and movement. On the glorious July afternoon I arrived, oak trees cast elongated shadows on the soft earth, a gentle breeze stirred the tall grass, and I found myself surrounded by a group of eccentric, vivacious young adults. A key element of the weekend is transformation: Wild Woman circles channelled sacred rage into empowerment, Forest Play turned ennui into childlike wonder, and poetry workshops used the surrounding woodlands as inspiration. My phone lay untouched, my mind grew quiet, and from that place of silence, the words poured out of me like rainfall. This year's event is from 22-28 July. The full price is £250 with early-bird discounts available into Serna Trigonos is a beautiful and unique environmentally conscious retreat centre in the heart of Eryri (Snowdonia). Its seven hectares (18 acres) include a tranquil lake. The setting is a key landscape in the ancient Fourth Branch of The Mabinogion. Storytellers Cath Little and Claire Mace led a weekend workshop for women here, exploring the enigmatic figure of Arianrhod, a key female figure in mythology. My connections with the story and the mythological landscape were deepened by this experience; I gained new insights, enriched my own storytelling, and made wise new friends. Activities such as yoga, weaving, cycling, and forest bathing are also offered at Collins Guardian Travel readers' tips Every week we ask our readers for recommendations from their travels. A selection of tips will be featured online and may appear in print. To enter the latest competition visit the readers' tips homepage - The best place to refill your creative cup is at Gladstone's Library. It truly is a bookish fantasy; you while away the hours reading and writing in a wood-panelled, nostalgic. book-filled space, before heading upstairs to dream in the book-themed bedrooms. Rooms start at £96 a night at this gem at Hawarden near Chester, founded by William Gladstone, which includes a delicious on-site breakfast, access to reading rooms and use of a common-room style lounge, complete with roaring fires and sofas. The UK's only residential library is the perfect getaway for creatives in any field looking to rest, write, read and be. Rosie Blincow The Solway Firth landscape painting weeks at Auchencairn House combine the inspirational scenery of the coast and the wonderful walled garden with excellent and supportive tutors and warm and friendly hosts. Breathe the calm by day, relax with stately home dining and just paint. The next course starts on 15 June. Anne Sign up to The Traveller Get travel inspiration, featured trips and local tips for your next break, as well as the latest deals from Guardian Holidays after newsletter promotion I have been on two photography holidays with Creative Escapes. I visited Sicily and Japan and the holidays were wonderful. The company only takes small groups and its tutors are experienced photographers. They give individual help and advice so not only did my skills improve, but I also developed my own style. There were complete beginners and experienced photographers on the trips but we all supported each other in the projects and feedback sessions. Beautiful locations for learning, accommodation and special On hands and knees, I tended to Sylvia Plath's overgrown grave with my new writer friend. We were staying at Ted Hughes's old pad up the road, Lumb Bank, atop a leafy West Yorkshire valley – learning the joys and craft of creative nonfiction, on an Arvon retreat. Over a transformative week, we shared writing and cooking skills, and bottles of red wine while dining at Ted's table every evening. That holiday kickstarted my love of creative writing. Arvon has three 'writing houses' – in Yorkshire, Shropshire and Devon. Five-day courses start at £
The Sun
6 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
UK's ‘worst seaside town' where drug gangs run rampant and locals ‘don't feel safe outside' set for massive revamp
THE UK's 'worst seaside town' where drug gangs run rampant and the locals 'don't feel safe outside' is now set for a huge revamp. The Welsh resort town of Bangor was hit with the unfortunate title following a survey by the consumer champion Which? where it was described as being 'drab' and 'run down'. 6 6 6 Bangor scored just 42 percent approval rating in the Which? survey with a lack of shopping highlighted. It scored one-star ratings for food and drink, tourist attractions, and shopping. For everything else, Bangor received just two stars. However, it was praised as a good base for visiting the 'fabulous' scenery and coast of North Wales. Nestled less than an hour away from Snowdonia national park, overlooking the Menai Strait, the North Wales city has been ravaged in recent years by rampant drug gangs and a high street battling to stay afloat. The 700 people quizzed by Which? gave the town an approval rating of just 42 percent. Nathan Griffiths, 25, a tyre technician, told The Sun last year: 'It's a s***hole. It's gone downhill massively for years. It's a dump in the city centre. 'I don't feel safe coming out here.' Dewi Rees, 55, said: 'It's been declining for 20 years. It's a shame it has gone downhill.' Dewi added: 'There's a lack of investment, the retail park is outside the town and tariffs on the properties are too high. Inside UK's 'worst seaside town' where shuttered restaurants are turned into drug farms But the high street is a mess, with boarded-up buildings and most national retailers long disappeared. Since the pandemic, the shopping centre has incredibly been 80 per cent vacant as the high street struggles to get back on its feet. The closure of Debenhams in 2021 sounded the death klaxon for the main shopping road. Drug gangs have seized the vacant lots to brazenly run secret cannabis factories. There have also been complaints of drug dealing in nearby Caernarfon Road, where many well-known high street names have relocated to new stores. In 2024, two men were jailed for their role in running a cannabis farm, claiming they had been forced into the work after being brought over illegally. The factory they were caught in was estimated to be worth £730,000, with Albanian nationals Fatjon Tarja, 32, and Indrit Balliu, 31, caught trying to escape out the back. The property used to have a restaurant on the ground floor, but it had been turned into a four-story operation housing 700 cannabis plants and all the equipment needed to grow them. Both men were jailed each for a year and eight months, with a ten-month minimum time served inside. But now the town is having new life breathed into it with its main shopping centre – the Menai Centre – being put on the market. The "shopping dream" precinct was developed in 2007 and cost £18.5million to build - but is listed for auction with a guide price of just £4.2million. The centre once housed High Street fashion retailers such as Debenhams and H&M but they left during the pandemic and is now 80 percent vacant. Among the shops left include a Greggs, The Original Factory Shop, and Hays Travel opening, as well as a cocktail bar. History of Bangor The city's name is Welsh for 'wattled enclosure', meaning it takes its name from the fenced area that originally surrounded the cathedral site. In 973 the city became the site of peace talks between Iago, ruler of the Kingdom of Gwynedd, and Hywel who had usurped him. The talks were facilitated by Edgar, King of England, who persuaded the warring kings to share ruling the realm. Bangor remained a relatively small settlement until the beginning of the 18th century, when it was designated a postal town on the route to Ireland. It then developed a shipbuilding industry and tourism via steamboats from Liverpool docks. In 1826, the Menai Bridge was built, connecting the isle of Anglesey to the mainland physically for the first time. By 1848, the city had a train station, allowing tourists to visit it more easily. In 1893, the Garth Pier opened. It's the second-longest pier in Wales and is now Grade II listed. During World War II, Bangor was used to rehouse parts of the BBC to avoid the blitz in London. The corporation still retains facilities in the city to this day. A health centre is set to open in the former Debenhams store funded by the Welsh Government, which is hoped will attract footfall but that unit is not part of the sale. The 130,000 sq ft building was bought by Bearmont Capital - run by Rob Lloyd - in 2023 and is listed for auction with property giant Savills in a two-stage bidding process. Savills said: "The property is arranged over ground and one upper floor and arranged as 19 separate units. It comprises 64,321 sq ft of retail and leisure space. "Tenants include JD Sport, Cafe Nero, Hays Travel, 3 mobile, Superdrug and Greggs amongst others. "Each shop benefits from their own street frontage. 'The Shopping Centre has no communal atrium, thus minimising the common parts. 'To the rear is a service yard." Savills say the current annual rents paid by tenants add up to £508,000. Explaining the bidding process, they said: "In stage 1 potential purchasers will be invited to place bids via a set deadline. 'These offers will then be considered by the client and a best and final offers may be called. "Should an offer meet the client's requirements a successful bidder will be selected and a sale will take place via an auction contract, which will be signed immediately along with receiving a 10 per cent deposit. 'The property will be deemed as 'sold prior to auction'. "If no stand out bids are received or bids received are of a similar value then a reserve price will be set on the property and it will be sold via a live online auction (date to be determined subject to Stage 1 of the process)." The stage one bids close on June 10. After receiving the title, Bangor City Council said: "It's disappointing to see Bangor City named as one of the UK's worst seaside towns. 'Such rankings often fail to capture the full picture and the unique charms that make Bangor City so special." 6 6 6
The Sun
26-05-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Mum breastfeeds her six-month-old baby as she runs ultramarathon up and down seven mountains and WINS epic 100km race
AN ULTRA-MARATHON runner has won an epic 100km race - whilst stopping to BREASTFEED along the way. Stephanie Case, 43, took on the gruelling Ultra-Trail Snowdonia race in Wales on May 17. 2 2 Case had not raced in three years before lining up on the start line for the outrageous physical test. It was the first time the human rights lawyer from Canada had run competitively since the birth of her daughter Pepper in November. And she wasn't about to let the race get in the way of the six-month-old's meal times. Case's partner John met her at checkpoints throughout the race, handing the 43-year-old food to refuel. While Stephanie would also feed Pepper before getting back into her running. She said: "It was truly like riding a bike - every kilometre that passed reminded me that I hadn't lost a thing over the last three years. "In fact, I have gained way more joy and strength from this sport as a mum 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 mum runners can be." After starting 30 minutes behind the elite runners, Case had no idea she had crossed the finish line in the fastest time. She laughed: "The race officials came to me and they were like, 'You actually won.' Moment Scot crosses finish line as he completes 32 ultramarathon challenge "They asked me 'Can you run through the tape again for the cameras?'" Case added: "I'm not extraordinary. "I had a baby, I ran a race. It should be a totally normal thing. "Everyone has an opinion about what new mums should or shouldn't be doing, and that doesn't open up a lot of. space for out there ideas like running an ultra. "I'm lucky to be physically okay after childbirth. Others aren't so lucky. "There is no 'comeback' after childbirth. There is just the next phase. "And whatever it looks like, whether on or off the trail, it'll be right for you."
