When Stephanie Case approached the aid stations at Ultra-Trail Snowdonia, she was both receiving and providing fuel. A new mom to her six-month-old daughter, Pepper, the ultrarunner breastfed at three different stops along the 100K course in North Wales.
While holding Pepper, who grabbed her mother’s crumpled race bib with curiosity, Case was diligent about her fuel intake—scarfing down watermelon slices, gels, and fluids—knowing she needed to maintain her milk supply while also keeping her own energy levels up for 62 miles.
It was Case’s first race postpartum and first competition in three years, a long-awaited return after struggling through multiple miscarriages and three rounds of in vitro fertilization (IVF). During that period, running became a source of guilt instead of joy while the 42-year-old navigated fertility challenges and a demanding job as a human rights lawyer.
