Moray woman’s mammoth 12 marathons in 12 months effort to end with ultra run
THE end of a mammoth marathon series is drawing closer for a fund-raising Moray woman.
Emma Vaccaro, from Elgin, committed herself to the challenge last year as part of her 40th birthday celebrations and will take part in her twelfth event in as many months on May 11.
Keen to end on a high, Emma will be running her longest distance yet when she battles the 50-mile long Moray Coastal Trail ultramarathon to bring herself to the finishing line.
The race is part of the Moray Way Ultra series and follows the Moray Coastal Trail from Forres to Cullen taking in Tugnet Ice House, Burghead’s pictish fort, Bow Fiddle Rock and Lossiemouth’s Covesea Lighthouse.
On supporting Outfit Moray, Emma said: “I chose Outfit Moray as, being a parent and cub leader, I have seen the amazing work they do to help change the lives of young people through their activities.
“It’s great to see so many opportunities available and I know they are incredibly busy especially with pupils who are finding school challenging.
“I have really enjoyed fundraising for Outfit Moray and they have given me amazing support and encouragement over the last 12 months.”
Emma has only been running since 2019 but, having become a keen Moray Road Runners member, decided to take on this challenge after enjoying last year’s Dramathon, which she also did to raise cash for Outfit Moray.
Emma has been completely self-supported throughout the challenge; including taking part in her first overseas race and heading off to Italy to complete the Verona Marathon in November.
Karen Cox, Outfit Moray’s fundraiser, said: “Straight away, it became clear that Emma was going to do everything she could to achieve her goal and give everything she had at every race.
“She has never once mentioned giving up, even when she has had some really tough races and, on the rare occasion she didn’t finish, she went out on her own and ran the extra miles to make up them up. She has pushed herself and given 100 per cent for every race she has entered.”
Outfit Moray’s CEO, Tony Brown, added: “Two of our values at Outfit Moray are ‘live the spirit of adventure’ and ‘be an inspiration for others’ and Emma’s definitely embodied them both.
“It takes a lot of commitment and dedication to stick to a personal challenge like this for 12 months, but her determination has never wavered and she has achieved so much during the year.
“We are all so proud of her and incredibly grateful she chose to support us. It has been an honour to share her journey with her.”
You can find all the details for Emma’s final race on Outfit Moray’s website at www.outfitmoray.com/emma, including links to her ’Emma’s 12 Marthons in 12 Months’ Facebook page and her fundraising page