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 breastfed mid-race—and still finished first

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

“It takes a lot just to keep your head on straight”

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.”

Your version of resilience counts, too

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

This isn’t a comeback—it’s your next phase

“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.