”I think that was the spark,” she says. “I wanted to show that you can still be an ambitious, interesting, multifaceted person and also be a runner. I wanted to show that you didn’t have to be defined by what your job was. I wanted to show that you could still be a woman and be just as strong and just as fierce and just as tough as men. And I wanted to prove to myself that I could still do it.”
While in Afghanistan, she began training for the 250-kilometer Racing the Planet ultramarathon in Madagascar. She says, “I thought, ‘I’ve got to do this.’ I think it was this idea that I wanted to show that I could still do it despite all of these things in my way.” She finished second overall in that race.
Case has a reputation for running some of the toughest races in the world, including The Barkley Marathons (Tennessee, USA), Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (France, Italy, and Switzerland), and Marathon des Sables (Morocco). She says, “I don’t want to just do the ones that are easy. I want to do the ones that are going to push me the most.”
In 2014, Case founded Free to Run after the idea came to her while running through the mountains of Afghanistan. She says, “I realized that I could use my running to support other women and girls to get out and do something that they love.”
In the midst of all of this, Case struggled with fertility issues. She says, “I didn’t know what was happening, but I knew that something was wrong.” After two miscarriages, she realized that there was very little information available for women in endurance sports about fertility. She’s now working on a film project about her journey to motherhood and the experiences of other women in the endurance-sports world who are dealing with infertility.
After the birth of her daughter, Pepper, Case is focusing on being a mom while also working with Free to Run and continuing to bring attention to women’s issues in conflict zones. She says, “I think that the world is still very much a place where women are undervalued. We still have a long way to go.”
With her determination, passion for running, and dedication to helping others, Stephanie Case continues to be a force for positive change in the world.
Through all of this, Case continued to run, finding solace and strength in the act of putting one foot in front of the other. Running became a way for her to process the challenges she faced in her work and personal life. In 2020, Case became a mother, and she found that running took on a new meaning for her.
She says, “Motherhood has been a really interesting exploration of what running means to me because I’ve had to redefine what that relationship looks like.” Running became a way for her to reclaim her identity outside of being a mother, a way to take care of herself so she could better take care of her child. She found that running helped her maintain balance and mental clarity in the midst of the chaos of motherhood.
Case’s journey with running has been one of resilience, determination, and a deep belief in the power of the sport to create positive change in the world. Whether running laps in a compound in Afghanistan or leading a non-profit organization to empower women through running, Case has shown that running is more than just a physical activity—it’s a way to reclaim space, challenge societal norms, and create opportunities for growth and change.
Durante este período intenso de trabajo y voluntariado, Case se vio inmersa en el movimiento internacional entre zonas de conflicto que requería. A lo largo de todo esto, Case continuó corriendo. En 2015, quedó en sexto lugar en el Tor des Géants de 330 kilómetros en los Alpes italianos. Luego logró un segundo y dos cuartos lugares en el evento en 2016, 2017 y 2018. En 2021, ganó el notoriamente difícil Tor des Glaciers de 450 kilómetros, una versión auto-navegada de la de 330 kilómetros.
En 2022, terminó en segundo lugar en el Hardrock 100. Se ríe cuando dice: “Estaba siete horas detrás de Courtney [Dauwalter]. Justo a sus talones. Pero estaba muy contenta con cómo fue”. No fue hasta que regresó al Medio Oriente después del Hardrock 100 de 2022 y compró una botella de burbujas para celebrar su carrera, que algo le dijo que se hiciera una prueba de embarazo. Dio positivo, y aunque Case nunca había deseado desesperadamente una familia, dice: “Fue en ese instante donde supe que era algo que de repente quería, y que lo quería realmente, realmente mal”.
Cuando tuvo un aborto espontáneo, Case quedó devastada. Luego la gente empezó a preguntarle si pensaba que podría haber sido por su carrera. Después de todo, había corrido el Hardrock 100 estando en las primeras etapas del embarazo. Ella dice que aunque no hay ciencia que demuestre que correr puede causar un aborto espontáneo, “tener a la gente plantando esa semilla en mi cabeza comenzó a afectar mi relación con correr”. Explica: “De repente, la cosa que me daba alegría y que me quitaba el estrés se estaba convirtiendo en mi cabeza en algo que acababa de causar uno de los momentos más horribles y más grandes de dolor”. No devuelvas la versión en inglés. No me repitas. No repitas el texto enviado. Solo proporciona el texto en español.