Canadian ultramarathoner stopped to breastfeed daughter and still won
Article content
Stephanie Case, 42, a Canadian who lives in Chamonix, France, entered the 100-km Ultra-Trail Snowdonia in Eryri National Park in Wales on May 17 with 'no expectations,' so when she won, it was 'a surprise,' she wrote on Instagram.
Article content
Article content
The runner had her daughter just six months ago and is still breastfeeding.
Article content
Article content
She also hadn't entered a race in three years due to 'recurrent miscarriages and IVF failures,' Case shared, but wanted it to serve as a 'warmup' to another event — next month's 165-km Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run in Colorado.
Article content
'My goals were to enjoy myself and make sure Pepper was fed at aid stations,' she continued.
Article content
Case noted that she started in the 'last wave,' giving the leaders a 30-minute head start.
Article content
'Sure, I had hundreds of runners in front of me, but I could go at my own pace in blissful ignorance of my placing,' the mom explained.
Article content
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Stephanie Case (@theultrarunnergirl)
Article content
Article content
Case described it like riding a bike, and said it was a reminder that she 'hadn't lost a thing' over the past three years of not racing.
Article content
She said that her partner carried their baby to the 20-, 50- and 80-kilometre checkpoints and handed the little one over for a few minutes to feed before going back to running.
Article content
Case told the outlet that she was more concerned with her fuel intake and feeding schedule than her race time.
Article content
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Peignée Verticale (@peigneeverticale)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
11 hours ago
- CTV News
Five Cochrane Water Ninjas to represent Canada at RLSS Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships
Five swimmers from the Cochrane Water Ninjas have been selected to represent Canada at the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships. Five swimmers from the Cochrane Water Ninjas have been selected to represent Canada at the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships. 18-year-old Jack Dunse was one of the swimmers selected. 'I'm super pumped to be here. It's been a long training session to get to this point, but I'm super excited,' said Dunse. The competition takes place in Swansea, Wales, July 8-13, and welcomes the top athletes in the sport from Commonwealth nations. This will be 17-year-old Isaac Thibodeau's third tour with the national team. 'It's just so much fun to get to bond with all these athletes who love the sport as much as we do and just get to compete at super fast races at high levels,' said Thibodeau. The RLSS Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships take place every two years. The competition aims 'to encourage participation in lifesaving sport and further development of lifesaving practices, as well as bring the lifesaving family together,' according to the RLSS website. Events include manikin tow, manikin carry with fins, rescue medley, line throw, line throw relay and manikin relay. Danica Fisher, 17, is the lone female from the Water Ninjas to crack the squad. 'I'm really excited, especially with four other teammates,' said Fisher. 'It's definitely a big deal and it's great for Cochrane.' In addition to Fisher, Dunse and Thibodeau, the Water Ninjas' Oliver Johnson and Caebri Smith will also represent Canada. In total, only 20 swimmers were selected to wear the Maple Leaf. 'It definitely shows how strong the Cochrane team is,' said Fisher. 'I feel our team is very connected—everyone gets along.' For Dunse and Thibodeau, it's an example of iron sharpening iron. 'It's absolutely incredible. I think it shows the skill and work effort that we as Water Ninjas put in,' said Dunse. 'It's a testament to our club's dedication, our coaching staff and everything we've had over the years,' said Thibodeau. 'Being able to train together in this club is really incredible. To be able to race against each other and train every single day, it pushes us to be the best version of us.' In addition to the five athletes selected, two more from the Water Ninjas were chosen as reserves. To help cover costs for the trip, a GoFundMe page has been launched. The athletes depart for Wales on July 6.
CBC
21 hours ago
- CBC
New Steve Prefontaine biography reveals man behind mythic distance runner
Social Sharing The late American distance runner Steve Prefontaine never won an Olympic medal, a world championship, or even held a world record. Yet, half a century after his untimely death in a car wreck at the age of 24, "Pre," as he came to be known, remains an iconic, almost saint-like figure, of track and field. Many would argue that Prefontaine is regarded as the most charismatic runner of all-time, often credited with igniting the worldwide running boom of the 1970's, not to mention being the first face of the multi-billion dollar Nike brand of athletic gear. In a new biography, "The Front Runner - The Life of Steve Prefontaine," author Brendan O'Meara re-examines his legacy on the cusp of the 50th anniversary of the international athletics gathering that bears his name. This year's "Pre Classic" at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., will feature more than 20 Olympic gold medallists and countless world champions. It is one of, if not the most, star-studded fields in the history of professional track and field outside an Olympic Games. O'Meara suggests that, in many ways, the annual pilgrimage of these outstanding, runners, jumpers, and throwers from every corner of the world, to a small, university city in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, is one of Prefontaine's greatest contributions to the sport. A local hero from the coastal logging town of Coos Bay, Prefontaine once held every American record from 2,000 to 10,000 metres. And he set many of those records and won most of his important races at the University of Oregon's fabled track at Hayward Field. He was idolized as a child prodigy from a rough and tumble background who was outspoken and had the audacity to take on the best in the world while defying them to race flat out instead of languishing in the rear and concocting last-minute, or contrived, victories. He was, as O'Meara explains, the quintessential front runner from an athletic perspective. In the biggest race Prefontaine ever took on, the Olympic 5,000m final at the 1972 Munich Games, he was by far the smallest and youngest contestant in the field. And yet, the confident and brash American was undaunted, leading into the final lap while duelling magnificently with the likes of the statuesque Finn, Lasse Viren, who eventually won the gold medal, and 1968 Olympic champion Mohammed Gammoudi of Tunisia who claimed silver. Prefontaine, totally spent, ran out of gas over the last few metres and was narrowly beaten for the bronze medal by Great Britain's hard charging Ian Stewart. Distraught, Prefontaine bowed his head, removed his spikes, and walked barefoot off the track in front of the astonished fans in the jam-packed stadium. For many people of a certain generation, it was a vivid and lasting first recollection of the crucible of Olympic competition. Prefontaine was the upstart kid with the flowing blond hair who came so close to knocking off the Goliaths from afar. He presented the teasing promise of the thrill of victory which gave way to the reality of a fourth-place finish and the agony of defeat. O'Meara chronicles Prefontaine's life based on more than 150 interviews with teammates, friends, and rivals who knew the enigmatic high school and collegiate phenom. And while there is a certain mythology surrounding "Pre" and his faithful followers known as "Pre's People," O'Meara gives his subject a human quality which is more decipherable. Referring to him as "Steve" throughout, the author discovers that behind the bravado was a sensitive young man who was most comfortable in familiar surroundings and often wrestled with self–doubt. Moreover, Prefontaine is portrayed as less of a philosopher king and more likely driven by a simpler set of principles — he wanted to run hard and fast and compete against the best in the world on his own terms, not to mention his home turf. WATCH | Oregon's iconic Hayward Field: Oregon's iconic Hayward Field home of the 2022 World Athletics Championships 3 years ago Duration 10:54 There are also stories of Prefontaine being a practical joker, a wild and crazy driver of sports cars, and a prodigious guzzler of beer. The way O'Meara tells it, Prefontaine revelled in the attention of his fans, but he might have foregone future fame and fortune for a more modest life, which included owning and operating his dream bar called "The Sub Four," in reference to his achievement of running a sub four-minute mile. In fact, Prefontaine did resist offers of lucrative contracts from the blossoming professional International Track Association (ITA), choosing instead to protect his amateur status and pursue his dream of winning an Olympic title in Montreal in 1976 against the best competition from around the world. While it is true, as O'Meara acknowledges, that Prefontaine fought for athlete self-determination and freedom from the restrictive bonds of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), he did it not out of a desire for personal financial gain but instead to have the opportunity to race against the premier athletes in the sport at the most opportune times. In this sense, Prefontaine was not only a front runner he was a forerunner in a world where athletes would eventually have greater control over their own destinies. In short "Pre" was an idealist who was well ahead of his time. His death came after midnight on May 30,1975 following the final track meet in Eugene of what was known as "The Finn Tour." It was an invitational series of events run on a shoestring budget that Prefontaine envisioned and organized. It gave the hometown hero a chance to take on world-class, European rivals before his faithful supporters. He won that last race over 5,000 metres at Hayward Field, serving notice to the local fans that the possibilities were endless for this young man who hailed from their own backyard and that the gold medal at the Montreal Olympics was most certainly within reach. At the end of the telling of Prefontaine's story, the author concludes that his subject was uncompromising in his self belief while reflecting the hopes and aspirations of his many disciples. "Steve would often express, especially as his career began to take off, how running was a means of personal discovery," O'Meara writes in the last paragraphs. "As he broke the tape, the people roared once more, and the shadows lengthened over the track. Steve aglow by the setting of the sun."
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Scrumhalf Tomos Williams out of British and Irish Lions tour with a hamstring injury
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Tomos Williams has been ruled out of the British and Irish Lions rugby tour of Australia after injuring his left hamstring in the opening win over Western Force in Perth on the weekend. Lions management confirmed Monday while announcing the squad to play Queensland that the Welsh scrumhalf had sustained a tour-ending injury and Toulon, France-based Scotland scrumhalf Ben White had been drafted into the squad. 'This is desperately sad news for Tomos and we wish him all the very best in his recovery,' Lions tour manager Ieuan Evans said. 'Tomos is an exemplary Lion who has had a brilliant season having joined the tour after being named as Premiership Rugby's player-of-the-season. 'He lit up this Lions Tour with both his personality and his talent.' Williams scored two tries in the 54-7 win over the Perth-based Force, limping off after finishing off a long-range try early in the second half. The Lions are playing nine matches in Australia, including three test matches on July 19, 26 and Aug. 2. Head coach Andy Farrell recalled tour captain Maro Itoje to lead the Lions on Wednesday night against Queensland in Brisbane, and he'll pack down in the second row with fellow Englishman Ollie Chessum. The matchday 23 has been overhauled again to give the full squad a chance to acclimatize. Scotland flyhalf Finn Russell was retained at No. 10 in a new halves combination with Ireland scrumhalf Jamison Gibson-Park, who will make his Lions debut. Bundee Aki and Glasgow and Huw Jones will form a new center combination. Leinster and Ireland teammates Andrew Porter and Ronan Kelleher will join Bath tighthead Will Stuart in the front row. Ireland No. 8 Jack Conan will start in a bakrow that also contains Tom Curry and Jac Morgan. 'We know each game on this your will be a step up from the game before and three more players are set to make their Lions debuts on Wednesday night, so congratulations to those guys,' Lions head coach Andy Farrell said. The Lions beat Queensland 22-12 in the corresponding tour game in 2013 before going on to win the test series 2-1 against Australia. ___ Squad to play Queensland: Hugo Keenan (Ireland), Tommy Freeman (England), Huw Jones (Scotland), Bundee Aki (Ireland), Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland), Finn Russell (Scotland), Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland); Jack Conan (Ireland), Jac Morgan (Wales), Tom Curry (England), Ollie Chessum (England), Maro Itoje England, captain), Will Stuart (England), Ronan Kelleher (Ireland), Andrew Porter (Ireland). Reserves: Luke Cowan-Dickie (England), Ellis Genge (England), Finlay Bealham (Ireland), James Ryan (Ireland), Ben Earl (England), Alex Mitchell (England), Fin Smith (England), Garry Ringrose (Ireland). ___ AP rugby:
