Walton County woman to run Great World Race, raise money for local charity

WALTON COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – Seven Marathons. Seven Continents. Seven Days.

The Great World Race is not for the faint of heart. The race is a challenging adventure, and one Walton County woman is putting herself to the test.

Merry Morgan Holotik told NewsChannel 7 that she has spent much of the year training and getting ready for the big race. She said when she began training, she could barely run for three miles straight. Now, thanks to an outpour of support and motivation from others, she says she is ready.

“I’m leaving to head to Capetown to run the Great World Race which is seven marathons in seven continents in seven days,” she explained. “It’s a little bit mind-blowing, isn’t it?”

Mogan Holotik is not one to back down from a challenge. She said she has an endurance background, having participated in a number of triathlons and even climbed Mount Everest in 2019!

But it has been a little while since her last big feat.

“Since I had my daughter, I’ve kind of put working out and training on hold, so when I saw this, I thought it would be a great opportunity to challenge myself and my body,” Morgan Holotik said.

Now, she’s jumping right back in. She will be joining 60 other people from across the world, to run around the world. All in only one week.

“So basically, we run a marathon, get back on the plane, fly, run a marathon, get back on the plane, fly,” Morgan Holotik said. “So we will sleep one night in a hotel over the 7 continents.”

While it is a challenge, Morgan Holotik said she and other participants are using this opportunity to raise money and awareness for different charities. Morgan Holotik said she has chosen two charities to support, one global organization, African Renewal Ministries, and one local organization that she says is close to her heart.

“A lot of us are running for charities or for a goal. The local charity I chose is Caring and Sharing of South Walton,” Morgan Holotik said. “I love that everything they do just pours back into our community and everyone there has just such big hearts.”

Morgan Holotik said she has been involved with Caring and Sharing of South Walton of South Walton for a few years now.

“She knows what we do here at Caring and Sharing of South Walton and our growth has exploded,” Caring and Sharing of South Walton of South Walton Director of Operations Lynne Adcox said. “Just in a period of one month, the number of families we have seen has increased by 200. September was like 800 families, last month was over 1,000.”

So with a set goal, and lots of support, Morgan Holotik is preparing to tackle the Great World Race one stride at a time. She said it is the people in her life and those that have made an impact on her life that keep her going.

“Each of the races I’m doing, I’m doing in memory, honor of someone that has an inspiration to me, so I just feel like I pray a lot when I’m running, and I think about these people I’m running for, and it just gives me the energy to keep on going.”

Morgan Holotik, along with the other runners, will be heading to Capetown, South Africa, on November 15th. The race will officially begin with a marathon in Antartica and ends with a marathon in Miami on the 21st.

You can follow along to her adventures here.

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