A 12-year-old La Puente girl who is trying to become the youngest person ever to run seven marathons on seven continents is almost half way to meeting her goal.
Blanca Ramirez has run three marathons so far. Her fastest time so far is 5 hours and 59 minutes, she told KTLA.
But it’s not the time that matters to Blanca. She’s trying to set a world record while raising money and awareness for a good cause.
Dimar Ramirez, her father, said the family ran a marathon together at Disneyland last year, which sparked Blanca’s love for running.
Not long after that, his daughter came up with the idea to try and run one marathon on each continent.
“’This is something that I want to do, so the fame that I get, I can do to help a charity,” Ramirez said, recalling when Blanca first told him of the idea. “So, I’m like, ‘oh.’ I can’t say not to that.”
Blanca is using her record-setting attempt to promote awareness and raise money for Operation Smile, a volunteer-based medical charity that provides free cleft surgeries.
So far, Blanca has run a marathon in the U.S., Africa and Asia.
Ramirez, who is Blanca’s biggest supporter, has spent more than $10,000 funding her trips.
She said that during the races, her father is always by her side offering encouragement.
“He motivates me whenever I start to think negative, about like not finishing the race,” she said.
Blanca’s remaining marathons are in South America in August, Australia in November, and a race in Europe at the beginning of next year. The final marathon will be in Antarctica in March 2015