Winter Vinecki
Winter Lee Vinecki (born December 18, 1998 in Grand Rapids, Michigan) is an American marathon runner, triathlete, and aerial skier.[1][2]
Biography
Vinecki became the youngest person to complete a marathon in Antarctica on March 30, 2013 when she finished the Antarctica Marathon with a time of 4 hours, 49 minutes, 45 seconds, giving her third place in the women's race.[1][3] In November 2013, she completed a marathon in Athens, Greece, which made her the youngest person to complete a marathon on seven continents, as she had done so on the other six continents previously.[1][4] She ran these marathons with her mother, Dr. Dawn Estelle, and the two are the first mother-daughter pair to complete seven marathons on seven continents.[4][5] The marathons were in the United States, Kenya, Antarctica, Mongolia, Peru, New Zealand, and Greece.[1] At the Andes Adventures Inca Trail Marathon to Machu Picchu in Peru, Vinecki was the women's overall winner and set the women's course record.[1][6]
She was the national IronKids triathlon champion in 2010 and 2011 and finished in 2012 as an official ambassador for IronKids.[1]
After meeting Emily Cook in 2011, Vinecki started training in aerial skiing.[1][7] She lives with a host family in Park City, Utah, training at Utah Olympic Park,[6] while her family lives in Salem, Oregon.[2][5] She qualified for the 2013 FIS Junior World Ski Championships but was unable to attend due to scheduling.[6] In March 2014, she was named as part of the U.S. Freestyle Junior Worlds Team.[8] The 2014 FIS Junior World Ski Championships were held later that month in Chiesa in Valmalenco, Italy. Vinecki placed fifth in ladies' aerials with a total of 162 points.[9] Her goal is to compete in the 2018 Winter Olympics.[1][6]
At age nine, Vinecki created a nonprofit organization, Team Winter, which raises money to fight prostate cancer, which her father died from.[1][6] As of November 2013, the organization has raised over $400,000.[5] In 2011, Vinecki was the recipient of the ANNIKA Inspiration Award.[1][10]
In August 2017, Vinecki received the Athletes in Excellence Award from The Foundation for Global Sports Development in recognition of her community service efforts and work with youth.[11]
References
- Roemeling, Alisha (November 12, 2013). "'This is for you, Dad'; Winter Vinecki completes marathon goal". Statesman Journal. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
- "Winter | Bio". Winter Vinecki. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
- Mosbergen, Dominique (April 10, 2013). "Winter Vinecki, 14, Becomes Youngest Person To Complete Marathon On Antarctica (PHOTOS)". The Huffington Post. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
- Kalinauskas, Nadine (November 21, 2013). "Winter Vinecki, 14, runs a marathon on all seven continents". Yahoo! News Canada. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
- Wiliams, Doug (November 11, 2013). "Vinecki completes seven-continent quest". ESPN. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
- Malik, Vidur; Tapper, Christina M. "The Fab Five". SI Kids. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
- Zaccardi, Nick (November 14, 2013). "Youngest person to run marathons on all continents eyes Winter Olympics". NBC Sports. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
- "2014 U.S. Freestyle Junior Worlds Team Named". Park City, Utah: United States Ski and Snowboard Association. March 10, 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
- "FIS Junior World Ski Championships - Ladies' Aerials 25.03.2014". FIS. March 25, 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
- "ANNIKA Inspiration Award". Women's Sports Foundation. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
- "Ten Athletes Selected to Receive The Foundation for Global Sports Development's 2017 Athletes in Excellence Award". aroundtherings.com. Retrieved 2017-08-09.