New mum runs 166km marathon only stopping to pump milk and breastfeed her baby
There are all kinds of amazing mums out there. Some of us bravely manage to find our way to the bottom of the dirty laundry basket at least once a month #inspiring, while others balance work and tot or head back to further study when they’ve got little ones.
Power by name, power by nature
British mum and ultra runner Sophie Power displayed a whole other kind of amazing recently though, when she ran an ultramarathon three short months after her baby was born AND found time to take a few pit stops, express some milk and feed her baby during the event.
We’re not for one second saying that every mum should aspire to rack up an amazing achievement like this. Not. At. All. But credit where credit’s due because Sophie’s a determined, strong, dedicated woman and that’s flipping brilliant to behold.
Everyone is lifted when we celebrate the excellence of others.
Sophie confirmed this herself on her own Instagram, noting that every mum faces her own marathon, every single day of the week.
“This isn’t a story about me. It’s a story about the daily struggle of being a new Mum,” she posted. “A story about the need to nurture our babies the best we can. And the importance to prioritise our physical and mental health – to be ourselves as well as be a mother.”
“I have been overwhelmed by the positivity and supportive messages. They are for all mothers, for we are all in this together.”
Read more about amazing mums:
- Every birth is incredible, but this mum’s minivan self-delivery takes the cake
- You’ll LOVE this brilliant photo of a mum “covering up” while breastfeeding
- Mums are sharing all kinds of post-baby bodies
In it together
The Ultra Trail Mont Blanc is a 166km run, and photographer Alexis Berg captured Sophie stopping to feed 3-month-old Cormac in this now viral shot.
Not only was Sophie the picture of endurance and determination, her husband ran his own sort of race as well, collecting expressed breast milk from aid stations along the race route. Sophie says it was a painful, painful run with lots of competing factors.
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“Oh my god I was in agony! Cormac usually feeds every 3 hours and it took me 16 to get to Courmayeur where he could first meet me … I was hand expressing everywhere I could en route. I was so relieved he was hungry!” Sophie explained via Womens’ Health. ⠀
A fresh approach
Sophie says not only was she expressing milk along the way, but she had to adjust her normal race strategy to compensate for her postpartum body – and her baby’s needs.
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“I couldn’t raise my heart rate too much as my body isn’t primed to burn fat and I couldn’t fully run downhills to protect my pelvis. In a typical race I would get in and out of the aid stations as quickly as possible but here I had to focus on keeping down enough food for me and for Cormac, and resting.” ⠀
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Sophie finished the marathon with a time of 43 hours and 33 minutes. What. A. Legend.
