Race SLO Ambassador, Stephanie Bruce, long a popular figure among parents, now helps her mother recover from cancer; Bruce toes the line at the 2017 TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday as one of the top Americans in the field; join her at the 2018 SLO Marathon + Half!

By Sarah Lorge Butler, Runner’s World

Marathoner Stephanie Bruce has been known for having a lot to balance, starting with her high-level training, which has qualified her for Olympic Trials and given her a chance to represent her country in international competition. Her husband, Ben, is a similarly elite athlete.

Then came two young sons, now 3 and 2, born 15 months apart, and the sleepless nights and early morning wake-up calls that come with parenting babies. She’s also been involved in a small business, Picky Bars, that provide gluten-free nutrition to athletes.

Most days, Bruce, now 33, has mastered the juggling act. She competed at the 2016 Olympic Trials on the track just nine months after her younger son was born. In so doing, and in sharing honest looks at her life on social media, she has built a cult following, especially among runner-mothers. Top-down photos of her post-partum abs, with visible stretch marks, went viral in 2016. These days, her Twitter feed includes dispatches about toilet training and a funny jab at her husband when tried to clean out her car. (One spouse’s trash is another spouse’s treasure.)

But just when it seemed Bruce had it all under control, a new struggle popped up last November: Her mother, Joan, was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer, a rare and aggressive form of the disease.

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