26-05-2025
Mother reveals why she decided to run a 100km ultramarathon while breastfeeding her six-month-old baby - and she WON the race
Ultrarunner Stephanie Case achieved a remarkable feat by winning Britain's biggest ultramarathon while simultaneously breastfeeding her six-month-old at stations along the 100km course.
Case, a 43-year-old Canadian human rights lawyer, had not raced in three years before the Ultra-Trail Snowdonia race in Wales on May 17 due to her fertility journey which ended with the birth of daughter Pepper in November.
Case started the race 30 minutes after the top runners in the field and says she had no expectations about a podium finish.
Her partner, John Roberts, met her along the way at refueling stations with her daughter who would breastfeed.
'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,' she said.
'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.'
Case encouraged other new mums to not be afraid of setting new goals.
'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,' she said.
'I'm lucky to be physically okay after childbirth (although it's taken a lot of pelvic floor work!). Others aren't so lucky,' she added.
'And let's be real, when I started dry heaving, I lost all bladder control after 95km.
'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.'
As she crossed the finish line, Case had no idea that she had won the race - and says had she been told she was leading, she would have been more competitive.
'Then, someone checked the chip time,' she told Run.
'And the race officials came to me and they were like, "You actually won. Can you run through the tape again for the cameras?"
Case did as she was asked - but was still in shock.
'I took the photos and did the finish line victory, but it just wouldn't sink in,' she said.
'I just kept saying, 'I won? I won?'
Photos of Case breastfeeding Pepper during the race have gone viral over the last week, but she wants fans to know that she isn't all that different than anybody else.
'I'm not extraordinary,' she said.
'I had a baby, I ran a race. It should be a totally normal thing.'
