Youngest person to run marathons on all continents eyes Winter Olympics

Winter Vinecki, 14, became the youngest person to run a marathon on every continent when she crossed the Athens Classic Marathon finish at Panathinaiko Stadium, the 1896 Olympic Stadium, on Sunday.

Vinecki, of Salem, Ore., completed the 26.2-mile race in 4 hours, 3 minutes, 53 seconds. The Statesman Journal explains why she set out to run marathons on all seven continents, including Antarctica.

Winter, who began racing at just 5 years old, set her goals high in 2009 after her father died from an extremely aggressive form of prostate cancer. She made it her mission to complete a marathon on every continent before her 15th birthday in December — to honor his memory.

Vinecki also does triathlons, but in the Olympic sense her future appears to be in aerials skiing. She was inspired by two-time U.S. Olympian Emily Cook to take up aerials two years ago and now lives and trains in Park City, Utah.

Vinecki has said she’s aiming for the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. It’s not out of the question. The youngest member of the 2010 U.S. Olympic Team was a female aerials skier, Ashley Caldwell, who was 16.

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