The Ultra Minute: Don't Call It a Comeback
Stephanie Case wins UTS 100k in her first race as a mom after starting 30 minutes back and breastfeeding mid-race, and lots more from this week in trail & ultra
Issue 41

Stephanie Case Wins Snowdonia UTS 100K in Her First Race as a Mom
When Stephanie Case crossed the finish line at the Snowdonia Ultra Trail 100K, she had no idea she'd won. Due to her lack of a current UTMB index, a consequence of stepping away from racing for three years to navigate recurrent miscarriages, IVF treatments, and pregnancy, Case was unable to secure an elite bib and started in the third wave, a full 30 minutes behind the elite field. She spent the race focused not on placement but on pace, joy, and periodically breastfeeding her six-month-old daughter, Pepper, at aid stations.
“I didn’t even know I had won until after I crossed the line,” Case shared on Instagram post-race. “I WON?!? I think I repeated it ten times.”
Returning to competition after her extended break, Case approached Snowdonia as a "warm-up" for the upcoming Hardrock 100. Navigating the rugged Welsh mountains, she ran blissfully unaware of her standing due to her staggered start.
As the race unfolded, she moved steadily through a field that started ahead of her, eventually clocking in at 16:53:22. Because of her delayed start, officials had to recalculate finish times at the end, confirming her remarkable victory. Her adjusted time vaulted her past front-runners Lauren Graham (16:57:44) and Japan's Kimino Miyazaki (17:06:34).
But this race meant more than the final time or podium position. “Every kilometre that passed reminded me that I hadn’t lost a thing,” Case reflected on Instagram afterward. “In fact, I have gained way more joy and strength from this sport as a mom than I ever did before.”
“There is no ‘comeback’ after childbirth,” she wrote. “There is just the next phase. And whatever it looks like, whether on or off the trail, it’ll be right for YOU.”
In a separate Instagram post five weeks before the race, Case opened up about the emotional balancing act of returning to the trails. “The truth is, I do feel guilty when I run,” she wrote. “Especially when I have a bad run. I feel like I’ve wasted precious moments being away from Pepper.” But she also held tight to the part of herself that long-distance running had shaped. “I am a mom. I’m still figuring out what that means. But I am still a runner. And I know what that means to me.”
As a dad of three, having seen my wife navigate pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum recovery several times, Stephanie’s story hits home. What she’s done here is incredible. Full stop. Go moms, go!
If you're new to Stephanie Case, as I was, she’s an especially remarkable human. Two years ago, Kelly Newlon of Rad Boulder featured her in her annual year-end “Do Epic Shit” roundup spotlighting standout people in the sport, writing:
“There are people we come across in life who are next level. The way they see things, they problem solve with intent, and fight with everything they have for what is right. They risk hard for justice. They simply fly closer to the sun. Stephanie Case is one of these people.”
Highly recommend reading Kelly’s full post, as well as Stephanie’s post-race reflection and her pre-race post about balancing motherhood and running. Each one takes just a minute or two, and together they paint a much fuller picture of who Stephanie is, and the nuance of what she’s done.
More from Snowdonia
On UTMB’s Instagram post celebrating Case’s win, —a founding board member of the Pro Trail Runners Association—called on the organization to revisit its pregnancy policy, which led to Case starting in the third wave. Both Puppi and Case noted in the comments that PTRA and sheRACES are in ongoing conversations with UTMB about improving the system.
In addition to Stephanie Case’s win in the 100K, The North Face had a strong showing across the board: Jon Albon won the 100K in 11:34:51, and Eleanor Whyman-Davis took the 50K in 6:44:43.
In the UTS 100M, well-known trail photographer (and ’s husband) Mike McMonagle finished top American in 11th place (29:44:58) and has shared some stunning photos from the trip on Instagram, calling the UK “an incredible mountain running destination” and admitting he’s “legitimately obsessed.” On the women’s side, the top American was Mercedes Siegle-Gaither, who finished 6th woman in 41:19:01.
I don’t know if this is news, but it’s news to me: Salomon congratulated Mathieu Blanchard on his second place finish and mentioned he’ll be running Hardrock this summer.
Additional Results
At the latest Golden Trail World Series stop in Noli, Italy, Florea Madalina continued her podium streak with a win, following up 3rd in China and 2nd in Japan to make it three-for-three this season. On the men’s side, Philemon Kiriago finally broke through for his first GTWS victory, outrunning defending champ Elhousine Elazzaoui and celebrating with pure joy, jumping up and down with a huge smile, at the finish.
In one of the tightest finishes of the weekend, Théo Le Boudec outkicked Juuso Simpanen in the final stretch of the Trail Alsace Grand Est by UTMB 100K, taking the win by just 10 seconds after nearly 12 hours of racing through the Vosges.
and Caitlin Fielder, both heading to Western States next month, took the wins at Ultra-Trail Australia’s 50K, with Jones in 4:01:19 and Fielder in 5:02:27. Dan also recapped his race on his Substack, .
At the Quad Rock 50 last week, Riley Brady and David Roche both set course records, with Brady winning in 8:16:24 in their Nike Racing debut, and Roche (who also coaches Brady) cruising to a 14-minute CR (7:06:19).
Also last week, Joe McConaughy won the Tillamook Burn 50 miler in 6:56:08 (2nd fastest on the current course) as part of his Western States build. Just behind him and first woman was , who finished 2nd overall and set a new course record, continuing her strong season after a runner-up finish at Gorge Waterfalls 100K. Don’t miss her recap over on her Substack, .
Other News & Links
Michelino Sunseri’s federal trial concluded this week after he was charged with cutting a switchback during his Grand Teton FKT attempt last fall. The judge is now reviewing arguments and is expected to issue a written decision. Jackson Hole News & Guide has a thorough update on the status of the case, and Michelino himself posted on Instagram.
John Kelly wrote on Instagram about starting his Appalachian Trail FKT attempt this Sunday and launched a fundraiser to support communities still recovering from Hurricane Helene. I’m beyond excited to follow his attempt and plan to share regular updates here, but I’d also suggest following him on Instagram and bookmarking his tracking page.
Hayden Hawks shared that he’s officially out of Western States after undergoing a minor meniscus cleanup. He says it was the right call for both short- and long-term health, with eyes now on UTMB. Meanwhile, David Roche shared that he’s dealing with a knee injury of his own. He hasn’t withdrawn (yet), but his post hinted it may be serious. And I noticed Dan Green, fresh off his Cocodona win, is now next up on the WSER waitlist.
Speaking of Dan, Huntington, West Virginia officially declared May 7th “Dan Green Day” in honor of his recent record-setting win at the Cocodona 250 (58:47:00). The hometown love didn’t stop there. Dan returned to work at Robert’s Running just five days after the finish and was surprised with a welcome party, smoothies, and a visit from the mayor. Long live CocoDANa.
According to Ultra Signup, Kilian Jornet and Jim Walmsley are both registered for this year’s Broken Arrow Ascent (formerly the “VK”), a 3-mile route with 3,000 feet of vert. Walmsley took second last year, and with both GOATs lining up, this sets up a spicy prelude to their rematch at Western States one week later. Since I wrote this, Kilian has confirmed he’s racing with a post in his Instagram story.
Tom Evans and his wife Sophie welcomed their first child last week (Phoebe Rosina Evans, born May 13). It’s part of a low-key baby boom among this year’s top Western States contenders. Off the top of my head: David Roche, Kilian Jornet, Caleb Olson, and now Evans all have newborns at home.
It’s official: The Mammoth 200-miler has its permits and is locked in for 2025. The inaugural 208-mile loop through the Eastern Sierra will start and finish at Mammoth Mountain, features $20K in prize money, and peeping the entrant list I already see a lot of Cocodona finishers registered. Runners previously on the waitlist should’ve received an UltraSignup invite. Others can still join the list here.
A flurry of sponsorship news last week: Elhousine Elazzaoui signed with Maurten, Alex Proctor joined Precision Fuel & Hydration, Natalie Jeananne is now part of the Speedland Elite Team, Open Fuel welcomed Robbie “The Flying Scotsman” Simpson to its roster, and Aaron Kubala is now East Peak’s first athlete partner.
Strava just launched a $300K grant program with For All Mothers+ to help tackle the Motherhood Penalty in sport. Fifty moms will receive $2,000 each to help cover childcare, travel, and support for racing this year. Applications are open through June 14. Love to see this.
Eric Lagerstrom, who took second at Black Canyon 50K in February, is now sidelined after fracturing the radial head in his elbow during a KOM attempt on a rocky MTB trail in St. George. He slammed his wrist, elbow, and shoulder in the fall, and while he managed to finish the run, he’s now facing about a month off.
Noor van der Veen announced she’s going after the Pyrenean Haute Route FKT (supported), an 800km, 40,000m vert traverse from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean.
On, which recently re-signed Katie Schide and Germain Grangier, just added $3 billion to its valuation after a blowout Q1 earnings report.
Tyler Andrews’ first attempt at going for the Everest Base Camp–Summit–Base Camp speed record with no supplemental oxygen was called off mid-attempt due to some gear issues and weather. He’s since been waiting for good weather and is currently targeting May 23.
Cocodona 2026 registration opened this week and filled within minutes. Perhaps most notably, Courtney Dauwalter is back for redemption after this year’s DNF. And this year’s women’s champ, Rachel Entrekin, the “Queen of Cocodona,” is not currently registered, commenting on Courtney’s post that she’s on “crew duty.” I’m sure you’ll be incredible crew, Rachel, but the 3-peat would be pretty cool! Just saying. Also of note, Ultrasignup struggled under the demand, with lots of folks running into timeouts and errors.
Cocodona 250 Media Roundup
Speaking of Cocodona, there’s been a flood of Cocodona content over the past couple of weeks, and while it’s impossible to watch or mention it all, here’s what I’ve personally checked out (or at least sampled):
Post-race interviews with both winners: Dan Green shares reflections on his course record and breakout performance, and Rachel Entrekin talks about going back-to-back and becoming the race’s first two-time women’s champ.
Derrick Lytle dropped The Pointy End, a beautifully shot doc capturing the front of the race, with scenes from Dan, Courtney, Rachel, Ryan Sandes, and more.
Derrick also sat down for separate podcasts with Rachel Entrekin, her full crew, and Dan Green.
Over on Free Outside, Jeff Garmire interviewed Jennie Chisholm—a Triple Crowner, mom of four, and two-time Cocodona finisher—about racing Cocodona this year while her sons were out on course racing too.
The Singletrack Podcast dove into how Cocodona is reshaping ultrarunning in their latest Long Run Archives, touching on race culture, media shifts, and what the future might hold.
Bargain Boys Media (Dan and friends) released Dark Horse, a raw, crew-shot film about his win, told in Dan’s own words. Apparently he took time for a shower?
On Ultra Uncovered, Corinne Shalvoy shares a fun behind-the-scenes look at Cocodona after spending 20+ hours on the livestream mic.
And finally, Jamil Coury shared The Wet, Muddy & Wild Cocodona 250 Year, offering his own bts look from his perspective out on the course in the early miles.
Other Podcast & YouTube Highlights
Kilian Jornet sat down for a 2.5-hour deep dive on the How to Become a Pro Cyclist pod. I’m about halfway through and besides the detailed insights into Kilian’s training, my favorite thing is how the host, Jack Burke, says “Oh my gawd!” several times in reaction to Kilian talking about doing Kilian things (like training fasted for 5 days).
On the East Coast focused pod, Roots Running, Georgia-based Hans Troyer reflects on his breakout run at Canyons 100K, the training block that got him there, and what’s next as he heads to Western States.
Speaking of Hans, Freetrail just dropped an interview with him too that I’m about 30 minutes into. So far they’ve covered a lot of history that I’m already familiar with, but if you don’t know Hans’ story it’s a good primer, and it’s cool to see Hans get his moment on the Freetrail stage (the first of many I’m sure).
What It Takes Ep. 1 kicks off a four-part docuseries following Adrian Macdonald, the two-time Leadville 100 champ, as he builds toward Western States after punching his ticket at Tarawera earlier this year. Episode 1 introduces his Fort Collins training, his crew, and early thoughts on Western States.
On the Fast People pod a few weeks ago, Des Linden talked about retiring from pro marathoning and what’s next, including her plan to pace Joe McConaughy at Western States. I got a good laugh when she admitted she can’t pronounce his last name and calls him “Joe McConkey.”
Aravaipa dropped a slick recap film from this year’s Black Canyon 100K, The Desert Decides.
That’s it for this week! No Reads of the Week simply because Substack is telling me this post is nearly too long for email. This weekend we have the legendary trail race, Zegama. Here’s the livestream, which starts in the early morning hours Sunday.
See y’all next week,
Ken
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About the Grand Teton FKT, I didn't know taking a shortcut could get you prosecuted in Federal Court! And I'm an attorney.
That's an awesome amount of trail racing coverage right there. Thanks 👍