On 10 September 2021, Stephanie Case stepped up to the starting line of one of the most gruelling ultra-distance races in the world: TOR450. 155 hours later, with just 4.5 hours sleep and 450K and 32,000m+ elevation behind her, Stephanie took third place overall, shattering the women’s course record by 30 hours and cementing her place as one of the great ultra athletes of all time.
Just a month before, Stephanie’s world and those of millions of Afghan women and girls shifted forever. As a human rights lawyer, Stephanie has worked to protect women’s rights for over a decade and in 2014, founded the not-for-profit organisation called Free to Run whose mission is to enable women and girls to engage in outdoor activity safely.