The daughter of Villagers Wayne and Patti Vargo is planning to run marathons on all seven continents, in part to raise money for two veterans charities.
Emily Vargo, 32, already has three continents/marathons crossed off her list.
She has completed three marathons, including Pittsburgh, Pa. in May; Greece, in November; and Rio de Janeiro, in July.
Next up is an ultramarathon in Cape Town, South Africa in April and then events in Sydney, Australia, in September and Bangkok, Thailand, in November.
The final marathon will be in 2016 in Antarctica.
To make the physical challenge more meaningful, she decided to run in support of veterans.
Vargo connected with Operation 300, a group near her Clearwater Beach, home that conducts camps for children who have lost a parent who is a veteran, as well as Boulder Crest Retreat in Virginia, which hosts job fairs, resume-building workshops, weeklong disability retreats and more for recovering veterans.
Her grandfather served in the Army Corps of Engineers in World War II and who was one of only two members of his battalion to survive.
“Stubborn runs in my family’s blood, but it is a great asset when you’re running marathons. Endurance is a sport of willpower,” she said.
The Walgreens pharmacist, who trains with her two German shepherds, began running track as a seventh grader.
Learn more about her efforts at her web site:
