"Trying to be the best possible mother without losing my identity. Hoping to inspire others to do the same." This is how the British account Sophie Power, ultra-marathon and, of course, mother describes her Instagram account.
His last feat has been to finish the Ultra Trail of Mont-Blanc (UTMB), the 171 km mountain ultramarathon and 10,000 meters of slopes surrounding this mountain of the Alps. The hardness of the test caused that of the 267 participants, only 167 managed to reach the finish line and she also did so with an added bonus: She had to make stops to breastfeed her baby for only three months.
So he did
The 26-year-old image of Sophie, breast-feeding her baby and pumping milk at the first refreshment stop of the race, speaks for itself of how hard it was for her to be 16 hours without her baby: "Oh my God, it was an agony! Cormac normally eats every three hours but it took me 16 to get to Courmayeur!".
In order to complete the test, she breast-fed little Cormac on the Chamonix starting line, where she was accompanied by her husband, John and her oldest son Donnacha. But he had to travel 80 kilometers until he could meet them again, moment that immortalized this photo of Strava (training website for cyclists and runners) and that he has received a multitude of support. The situation was repeated in the rest of the supplies where he could stop.
A truly incredible image that tells a better story than we ever could - a story of motherhood, endurance and the strength of the human body. Captured by our photographer, @alexis_berg, during the 105 mile @utmbmontblanc race, British ultra runner Sophie Power breastfeeds her 3 month old baby, Cormac. @ultra_sophie we applaud you. We applaud your endurance, your courage and your defiance of those who told you you couldnt. Youre a true inspiration. #utmb
Sophie, who started this type of test in 2009 and has participated with her husband in many stages races around the world, recognizes that she enjoyed the race, although she would not repeat the experience so few months after giving birth: "Having to go so slowly to protect my body and to ensure that I could feed Cormac well I enjoyed the scenery, I talked to people and rested."
Even with all this, he finished the race in position 1,219 (out of a total of 1,778 participants), in a time of 43h: 33: 09 and at a rate of 3.9 km / h.
An example for recent mothers
Sophie tells on her Instagram account that when she received Strava's call to share her breastfeeding photo and the story behind her, she replied:
"This is not a story about me. It's a story about the daily struggle to be a new mom. A story about the need to raise our babies as best we can. And the importance of prioritizing our physical and mental health: be ourselves and be mothers. "After the signs of support and solidarity that has awakened in social networks, she acknowledges feeling overwhelmed, because "This message is for all mothers, because we are all in this together."
However, there are who do not consider it an example For other mothers, they criticize putting a race ahead of their baby leaving him for so many hours and setting schedules to breastfeed every three hours when breastfeeding should be on demand.
A few days ago I had a call from @strava asking to share this picture and for the story behind it. But this isnt a story about me. Its a story about the daily struggle of being a new Mum. A story about the need to nurture our babies the best we can. And the importance to prioritize 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 #motherhood
Sophie says her suffering vanished when she crossed the line with her two children, among the people's spirits. Next to the video of his arrival, he maintains that this is "So you have to keep going" despite having to stop to breastfeed.
Short version- finished 107 mile non stop run round Mont Blanc climbing 10,000m (aka UTMB) in 43.5 hrs whilst breast feeding my 3 month old baby. The long version of how and why is to follow
Claim for pregnant athletes
Sophie, 26, decided to run, although it had only been three months since she had given birth, because she wanted to send a message to the ultra trail organization: request that the regulation be changed to keep the square until the following year to Women who get pregnant.
And he says it with knowledge of cause, since in order to participate in the UTMB candidates must accumulate at least 15 points that they will have achieved by finishing a maximum of three ultramarathons in the last 48 months.
There are more applicants than places, so these are covered by lottery. Power was in 2014 when she was pregnant with her first child, Donnacha. Then he asked to reserve the place for the next edition and found a no for an answer.
As she explains:
“They allow those who are injured to be postponed, but not if you get pregnant because they say it is 'by choice'."
And it is not the only sport discipline where this type of discrimination occurs. Tennis player Serena Willians denounced that because she was a mother, she lost her position in the world ranking, since pregnancy is equated with injury.
But luckily these examples of elite athletes show us that you can be a mother and continue with the sports career. This was done by Blanca Manchón, who lost all sponsorships after becoming pregnant and has once again become world champion in Windsurfing.
