Stephanie Case becomes first woman to finish 100-mile Antarctic race

Canadian ultra-runner Stephanie Case has become the first woman to finish a 100-mile race in Antarctica, placing second overall after more than 17 hours in extreme cold.

Case, 43, completed the Antarctic Ice Ultra in 17 hours, 31 minutes and 39 seconds. The race covered 38 loops of a 4.2km course in the Schirmacher Oasis in Queen Maud Land. Organisers brought the start forward to 1am on Sunday because of severe weather, BBC Sport reported.

Temperatures fell as low as -35C, which the BBC said was the coldest conditions organisers had seen. Only four of the eight runners who started the 100-mile race finished; Case was the only woman among the three women on the start line to complete it.

Case told the BBC that running in the cold required balancing speed with staying dry: sweating, she said, could make a runner cold quickly. She also described the practical difficulties of taking a toilet break while wearing layers and gloves, and said Antarctic biosecurity rules meant runners could not leave anything behind.

Chinese runner Yusheng Ni finished first, 29 minutes ahead of Case, and improved his own world record by more than five and a half hours, the BBC reported. Case had also hoped to pursue the record, and said the two runners had pushed each other during the race.

Case said the achievement was partly inspired by criticism she received after breastfeeding her baby during an ultramarathon victory in Wales last year. She described finishing in Antarctica as an emotional relief and said she hoped to show her daughter what women can do.