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.
