Her last major race was in 2022 at the Hardrock. Shortly after running it three years ago (placing second among women and 19th overall), Case realized she was pregnant and then miscarried. From there, she had more miscarriages and then IVF implantation failures.
“My relationship with running completely changed during this time. There is still so much silence, shame and stigma around infertility, and several people questioned whether running had contributed to my problems,” Case said.
The issue isn’t physical activity. The issue is that ultra marathon runners tend to have extremely low body fat percentages. Women generally need a relatively high level of body fat to remain fertile.
I’m honestly impressed that an ultra marathoner was able to get pregnant.
The issue isn’t physical activity. The issue is that ultra marathon runners tend to have extremely low body fat percentages. Women generally need a relatively high level of body fat to remain fertile.