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Photos courtesy of Ann Cade.
Mountain Brook resident Ann Cade is a mom of three, and her kids, Nathaniel, Eliza and Fitz, were there to support her as she crossed the finish line.
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Photos courtesy of Ann Cade.
Mountain Brook resident Ann Cade, 41, recently finished as the top female in the Lake Martin 100, a grueling 50-mile ultramarathon in Alexander City, Alabama. A single mother of three and founder of Ann Cade Wellness, Cade’s journey to the finish line was anything but traditional.
“As a single mother of three with sole custody of my children, I definitely run more carpools than miles, which makes training for a 50-mile marathon far from traditional,” said Cade. “While my competitors prepare with long trail runs, I squeeze quick workouts in between client meetings, soccer drop-offs and homework help. But I still finished — and won — the race, because I’ve learned how to care for my body in a way that actually works.”
Cade first tackled the Lake Martin ultramarathon in 2016. “The first time I ran the 50 mile race was in 2016 and I won it for females,” she said. “And I was like, this is kind of nice to feel like yourself again, you know, and not just be a mom and working.” She returned in 2018 and set the course record. “I set the course record, and I went under nine hours, and I just couldn’t believe that my body could do that.”
This year, Cade overcame sweltering heat to finish just under 10 hours. “It was so hot. It was 90 degrees,” she recalled. “I had to fill up my water bottle like every hour. I was putting ice in my vest, because you have to keep your body temperature down. So I knew, once I saw the weather forecast that I wasn’t going to set the record, but I didn’t even know if I was going to finish.”
Training while managing motherhood and a business required creativity and resilience. “I would run when my kids were at T-ball practice,” Cade said. “Just like little snippets here and there, and they just added up.”
In August 2023, Cade launched Empowered Nutrition, an online coaching business that has already served more than 500 women. “Women are balancing more than ever, and the last thing we need are more extreme diets, complicated nutrition rules, or elaborate meal prep plans,” Cade said. “My passion is creating clear, personalized strategies that fit into their life and work for their hormones, schedules and kids’ picky taste buds.”
She emphasizes realistic health and body-positive mindset shifts for her clients. “Even if we all ate the exact same thing and exercised the exact same way, all of our bodies would look different. And I think that’s a good thing,” she said.
Cade’s success on the trail echoes the mission behind her business. “Yes, I won the 50 mile race, but it wasn’t because I devoted my life to being an ultra runner,” she said. “It’s because that’s my whole career — how to fit in your health goals, your wellness goals, what makes you feel like you — into the life that you already have.”
To learn more about Cade and her business, visit anncadewellness.com.
