A mother of a 6-month-old baby won a 62-mile ultramarathon while breastfeeding and after starting 30 minutes late, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Stephanie Case, a human rights lawyer with the United Nations, became an ultra-mom after winning this ultramarathon.
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Six Month Post-Partum Mother Wins 62-Mile Marathon While Breastfeeding
Stephanie and a French photography agency shared a joint Instagram post of her achievement. It showed six photos of her May 17 marathon, half of which were her taking breastfeeding breaks.
“Not only has Stephanie won the 100k race after giving birth to her daughter 6 months ago,” the caption wrote. “Not only has Stephanie breastfed her girl several times along the way at the aid stations. But she has also won the race starting her race from far behind, with no access to an elite bib.”
Stephanie began Britain’s biggest ultramarathon 30 minutes after the “elite” field began, the outlet reported. Without any expectations of winning, this mother was able to run at her own pace. “My only goal was really to shake out the cobwebs, try to enjoy myself, and find that love of running again,” she said on social media.
At the same time, her partner, John Roberts, would meet her at multiple aid stations. He brought along Pepper, their daughter, who would feed as her mother rested and refueled.
Despite what would normally be setbacks, Stephanie achieved the number one spot. The mother had accomplished this after taking a break for three years due to her fertility journey. She had suffered multiple IVF failures throughout those years, but finally she gave birth to a health baby girl in November.
Stephanie is using this achievement to convince other mothers to take on challenges post-partum. “Whether you are thinking of being a mom, are pregnant, or are a new mom yourself, don’t be afraid to keep setting big goals for yourself,” she wrote in another online post.
“While it broke my heart to leave little Pepper at the aid stations, I wanted to show her – both of us – how amazing mom runners can be.”
Stephanie is also the founder of Free to Run, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) working to help global gender equity through running. On top of that, she’s making a movie about her fertility struggles and return to marathon running.