Mountain athlete Emma Roca has died at the age of 47, a victim of cancer. Born in Barcelona, she had lived for years in Cerdanya, at the foot of the mountains that one day captivated her forever. She was the mother of three children. His death, although feared due to the evolution of the disease he suffered, has caused deep sorrow in the mountain community. Several have been the athletes who have publicly lamented the death. Kilian Jornet has classified her as a "benchmark", the mountaineer Ferran Latorre has highlighted that she was "an inspiration to many". The also mountain runner Núria Picas has related on social networks that she had the opportunity to speak with Emma Roca recently and that she showed her indomitable spirit. "We do not abandon, we do not throw the number, we are fighters by nature",Picas account that his companion of fatigue showed him.
Roca was a pioneer in mountain racing, where she achieved outstanding results in international events.
He was on the podium at the Mont Blanc Ultra Trail and the Marathon des Sables.
He won the Leadville Ultramarathon (100 miles in Colorado) or the GoreTex Transalpine Run (293 miles through the Alps).
He was a member of the Spanish mountain ski team, he did the World Cup and Championship circuit.
More information
We will return to the mountain
Fernanda Maciel: "At 16 I no longer took a bus, I was running faster to school or home"
Beyond racing, he displayed frenzied hyperactivity in various fields. She combined high-level sport with her work as a firefighter for the Generalitat in the La Seu d'Urgell park. He belonged to the mountain rescue group, GRAE. In addition, she had a degree in Biochemistry. A year and a half ago he presented his doctoral thesis. He focused his research on the health impact of long-distance running. A subject in which she was a true specialist, both theoretically and in practice.
Roca also promoted several entrepreneurial initiatives related to sports, the environment and nutrition.
This is the case of Gratacool, a project based on the use of the fruit of the wild rose, the rose hip, to obtain many products (jam, ice cream or sauces) and enhance it as a natural antioxidant.
He published a book,
Non stop!
(Ediciones Invisibles, 2014), where he recorded his secrets to be able to get to everything.
You can follow EL PAÍS DEPORTES on
and
, or sign up here to receive
our weekly newsletter
.