Latest news with #Ultra-TrailSnowdonia
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Canadian ultramarathoner stopped to breastfeed daughter and still won
Mothers know how to juggle tasks, but one mom showed how she can juggle the needs of her newborn — and win a race. Stephanie Case, 42, a Canadian who lives in Chamonix, France, entered the 100-km Ultra-Trail Snowdonia in Eryri National Park in Wales on May 17 with 'no expectations,' so when she won, it was 'a surprise,' she wrote on Instagram. The runner had her daughter just six months ago and is still breastfeeding. She also hadn't entered a race in three years due to 'recurrent miscarriages and IVF failures,' Case shared, but wanted it to serve as a 'warmup' to another event — next month's 165-km Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run in Colorado. 'My goals were to enjoy myself and make sure Pepper was fed at aid stations,' she continued. Case noted that she started in the 'last wave,' giving the leaders a 30-minute head start. 'Sure, I had hundreds of runners in front of me, but I could go at my own pace in blissful ignorance of my placing,' the mom explained. Case described it like riding a bike, and said it was a reminder that she 'hadn't lost a thing' over the past three years of not racing. The new mom got special permission to pause to breastfeed, on the one condition that she couldn't accept aid during the stops, Case told NPR. She said that her partner carried their baby to the 20-, 50- and 80-kilometre checkpoints and handed the little one over for a few minutes to feed before going back to running. Case told the outlet that she was more concerned with her fuel intake and feeding schedule than her race time. 'During the race, I was taking in about 80 to 100 grams of carbohydrates an hour,' she said. 'And I kept that up until about 65K, and then I had to pull back a bit because I was getting quite nauseous. And then I ramped it back up again and was kind of done at 95K.' She admitted: 'That's when I started getting really nauseous.' That's also when she 'lost all bladder control,' she revealed on Instagram. Case finished the race and was quickly told the incredible news. 'I WON?!?,' she recalled in disbelief. Chinese marathon runner disqualified for chain-smoking through entire race Humanoid robots run Chinese half-marathon alongside flesh-and-blood competitors British YouTuber allowed into North Korea to run marathon 'I didn't even know I had won until after I crossed the line.' Case credits motherhood for the win, writing that she found she 'gained way more joy and strength from this sport as a mom than I ever did before.' She added: 'I wanted to show her — both of us — how amazing mom runners can be.' Check out our sports section for the latest news and analysis.
Toronto Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
Canadian ultramarathoner stopped to breastfeed daughter and still won
'I wanted to show her — both of us — how amazing mom runners can be' Stephanie Case, an ultramarathon runner and new mom who won the 100-kim Ultra-Trail Snowdonia in Wales on May 17, 2025. Photo by @theultrarunnergirl / Instagram Mothers know how to juggle tasks, but one mom showed how she can juggle the needs of her newborn — and win a race. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Stephanie Case, 42, a Canadian who lives in Chamonix, France, entered the 100-km Ultra-Trail Snowdonia in Eryri National Park in Wales on May 17 with 'no expectations,' so when she won, it was 'a surprise,' she wrote on Instagram. The runner had her daughter just six months ago and is still breastfeeding. She also hadn't entered a race in three years due to 'recurrent miscarriages and IVF failures,' Case shared, but wanted it to serve as a 'warmup' to another event — next month's 165-km Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run in Colorado. 'My goals were to enjoy myself and make sure Pepper was fed at aid stations,' she continued. Case noted that she started in the 'last wave,' giving the leaders a 30-minute head start. 'Sure, I had hundreds of runners in front of me, but I could go at my own pace in blissful ignorance of my placing,' the mom explained. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Case described it like riding a bike, and said it was a reminder that she 'hadn't lost a thing' over the past three years of not racing. The new mom got special permission to pause to breastfeed, on the one condition that she couldn't accept aid during the stops, Case told NPR . She said that her partner carried their baby to the 20-, 50- and 80-kilometre checkpoints and handed the little one over for a few minutes to feed before going back to running. Case told the outlet that she was more concerned with her fuel intake and feeding schedule than her race time. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'During the race, I was taking in about 80 to 100 grams of carbohydrates an hour,' she said. 'And I kept that up until about 65K, and then I had to pull back a bit because I was getting quite nauseous. And then I ramped it back up again and was kind of done at 95K.' She admitted: 'That's when I started getting really nauseous.' RECOMMENDED VIDEO That's also when she 'lost all bladder control,' she revealed on Instagram. Case finished the race and was quickly told the incredible news. 'I WON?!?,' she recalled in disbelief. Read More 'I didn't even know I had won until after I crossed the line.' Case credits motherhood for the win, writing that she found she 'gained way more joy and strength from this sport as a mom than I ever did before.' She added: 'I wanted to show her — both of us — how amazing mom runners can be.' Check out our sports section for the latest news and analysis. Olympics Toronto & GTA Ontario NHL Ontario
New York Post
5 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Supermom runner claims gold in grueling marathon — even after stopping to breastfeed three times
Who runs the world? Moms. A new mom won an ultramarathon — even with stopping to breastfeed her newborn three times. Stephanie Case, 42, came in first place at a 100-kilometer race in Wales on May 17. 4 This woman is the definition of a supermom. The Canadian woman who lives in Chamonix, France, sat down at three different points during the Ultra-Trail Snowdonia in Eryri National Park to breastfeed her six-month-old daughter. It was her first race post-partum, according to NPR. After a three-year break from competing, three rounds of IVF and two miscarriages, she was excited to be back in the race with her baby by her side. And all that excitement must have hyped her up because she powered through faster than any of the other women on the course. 'Well that was a surprise,' Case wrote on Instagram. 'I WON?!?' The runner didn't know she'd placed first until after she'd crossed the finish line because she'd started the race 30 minutes after the first group of competitors. She got special permission to pause to breastfeed, on the one condition that she couldn't accept aid during the stops, so she did. 4 Case explained how she took many breaks to breastfeed her child in the midst of the race. Case's partner carried their baby to the 20-, 50- and 80-kilometer checkpoints and handed the little one over for a few minutes to feed. Mom would then kick it back into gear and continue running after her baby was fed. She paid more attention to her fuel intake and feeding schedule than to her time. 'During the race, I was taking in about 80 to 100 grams of carbohydrates an hour,' she told NPR. 'And I kept that up until about 65K, and then I had to pull back a bit because I was getting quite nauseous. And then I ramped it back up again and was kind of done at 95K.' 4 'Well that was a surprise,' Case wrote on Instagram. 'I WON?!?' Instagram/theultrarunnergirl 'That's when I started getting really nauseous.' And this Welsh course isn't a flat plain. 'It's not what you would think of as a typical running race,' Case noted. Snowdonia has 21,325 feet of elevation gain as runners have to traverse the highest mountain in Wales — Snowdon — known in Welsh as Yr Wyddfa. 'Really it's almost like scrambling or climbing, where you're going up kind of a vertical wall of rock,' Case said. Yet, she finished the race in just over 16 hours and 53 minutes — beating the other 60-something females. Her time was four minutes faster than the runner-up's. 'It was meant to be my warmup to Hardrock,' Case posted on Instagram, referencing the July 11 Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run in Colorado. That course is 102.5 miles in length, with 33,000 feet of climb. Warm up or not, Case acknowledges how difficult the race she won was. '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,' Case told the Guardian. '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.' Based on the response she's received from people, Case's accomplishment is inspiring people. 4 Case finished the race in just over 16 hours and 53 minutes — beating the other 60-something females. Her time was four minutes faster than the runner-up's. Instagram/theultrarunnergirl 'I think the response has been overwhelmingly positive,' Case told NPR, adding that the reaction 'has shown me that we still have these ideas in our head culturally about what a new mom should look like.' 'We don't have to lose ourselves in becoming a mom and we can keep setting big goals for ourselves.'
5 days ago
- Sport
Ultrarunner opens up about nursing baby before winning 100K race
An ultra-distance runner is opening up after winning a 100-kilometer race while nursing her infant daughter. Stephanie Case came in first in the women's field at the Ultra-Trail Snowdonia by Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc event, held between May 16 and 18 at Eryri National Park in the Snowdonia region of Wales. Along the way, she continually stopped to meet with her partner and nurse her daughter Pepper at three different aid stations. Case told ABC News it was like a "normal day" for her, but also acknowledged it wasn't an easy feat to switch from competition mode to nurture mode and then back again. "When you're out on the trail, you're in race mode, and the adrenaline is pumping and you're trying to move as quickly as possible over the trails. But as any mom out there will know, when you're breastfeeding, your kid can pick up on your own energy, so when I got into the aid station, I needed to try to forget that I was in a race," the 42-year-old Canadian said. Case, who has been ultrarunning for nearly 20 years, said she was easing back into running after giving birth in November and was treating the Ultra-Trail Snowdonia event, her first in nearly three years, as a warm-up race. She said she didn't even initially realize she had finished in first place among the female runners. "When I finished, I ran across the finish line, and I was so excited, because I felt like I'd had a strong day for me," Case said. "And then the race organizer said, 'Hold on, we're checking the chip times but we think you might have won.' And I was absolutely floored. I had to get them to repeat it multiple times." Case's victory was especially sweet and triumphant because she said she had a "challenging" pregnancy journey, which was marked by two miscarriages and multiple rounds of in vitro fertilization treatment. "Any new mom out there will know we are the best at multitasking," said Case. "This just added another layer of logistics … and I seem to manage them OK." Since her comeback victory, many have praised Case and said they're inspired by what she has been able to accomplish. "Wow - this is sooooo cool, well done! I am a mum of two (nearly 4 year old and a 6 month old) I've never really exercised, but I am determined to start running and this is just such a massive inspiration," wrote one Instagram user. "If you can do this I gotta be able to do my little couch to 5k, no matter how many weeks it takes. Find it so hard to make time for myself and get out." Case, who said she feels "pretty good" since the race, said she hopes to pass along that extra boost of motivation to other women, especially to moms-to-be and new moms like her. "They don't have to give up their passions and their dreams when they become a mom," said Case. "The things that make us happy and whole are the things that make us better parents." Case said she plans on racing again this summer, making her return to the Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run, also known as the Hardrock 100.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Mom wins 62-mile ultramarathon 6 months after giving birth—while breastfeeding her baby along the way
When Canadian ultrarunner Stephanie Case lined up at the start of the Ultra-Trail Snowdonia 100km (62-mile) race in Wales, she wasn't chasing a comeback. She was chasing clarity. Six months postpartum, three years removed from her last race, and still healing from a string of devastating miscarriages and IVF failures, Case wasn't trying to prove she was a 'supermom.' She just wanted to feel like herself again. 'I wanted a chance to shake off the cobwebs,' she told CBC News. 'Coming back to running postpartum, I just wanted to discover that joy again and reconnect with the core part of my identity that was a runner through and through.' She didn't expect to win. In fact, she started 30 minutes behind the elite wave. But when she crossed the finish line, race officials did a double take. 'I couldn't believe it. I think I had to ask the race organizers about 10 times,' she said. 'It was such a surprise.' Over 62 miles of rugged terrain, Stephanie stopped at multiple aid stations to breastfeed her daughter, Pepper. She coordinated logistics with her partner, John, and secured permission to assist her baby mid-race—without any extra help for herself. Pepper, distracted by the crinkle of her mom's race bib, needed help latching. At another point, 'she just wanted a cuddle,' Case said. 'It almost broke me to leave her, although I knew John was doing an amazing job taking care of her all day.' This wasn't a glossy, picture-perfect performance. Stephanie lost bladder control at mile 59 after dry heaving. She missed her baby. She toggled between race mode and mom mode, carrying the weight of both identities up every climb. Related: Nike's new ad honors the most athletic people we know: pregnant and nursing mamas Stephanie is the first to say her experience shouldn't be the standard for what postpartum strength looks like. 'Stories from this weekend, while inspiring to some, can be demotivating for others,' she wrote in a viral Instagram post. 'I'm lucky to be physically okay after childbirth (with a lot of pelvic floor work!). Others aren't so lucky.' Because while her win might have made headlines, Stephanie's most powerful message is about giving moms permission to not strive for perfection. 'I think it's hard for new moms to give themselves permission to take time for themselves and to continue to strive for big goals,' Case told CBC News. 'There's this idea that we should be able to do it all, and honestly, it takes a lot just to keep your head on straight as a new mom most days.' 'Ultimately, we as a society need to work better to support new moms in finding their own path in motherhood, and reduce the judgment on what that looks like.' Whether you're waking every two hours with a newborn, navigating a toddler's meltdown over the 'wrong' snack cup, or just figuring out who you are now—your version of endurance matters just as much. Stephanie's journey is a reminder that motherhood and ambition aren't mutually exclusive. That pushing through doesn't always mean running 62 miles—it can mean making it through a grocery trip without a breakdown. Or giving yourself five minutes of quiet without guilt. Related: Pregnant anchor's water breaks before the morning news—and she powers through the whole broadcast 'There is no 'comeback' after childbirth,' Stephanie wrote. 'There is just the next phase. And whatever it looks like, whether on or off the trail, it'll be right for YOU.' So now we'll ask you: What's one goal you've been afraid to reclaim since becoming a mom? You don't have to cross a finish line to deserve support. But you do deserve to feel like yourself again. Let's start there.
