Name: Veronica Morabito-Weeks
Age: 59
Current Town: Brightwaters
Originally from: Bern, Switzerland
Married for 26 years and have one son who is graduating from college in May
Occupation: 5th grade teacher in Hauppauge for 23 years in a co-teaching classroom with Tara Dungate
Pets: (you name it, I’ve got it) horse,
2 Newfoundlands, African gray, sugar gliders, snakes, etc.
Hobbies/passions: running, horseback riding, horse racing partnerships, all things related to nature, rescuing any animal in need.
Thank you so much Lou LaFleur for allowing me to be Warrior of the Week. I am truly humbled by the incredible welcome I’ve received from this “Hillbilly Family.” I was always into horses growing up but really couldn’t run down a block to save myself. I was into books, animals, Native Americans, and nature and running never even entered my mind. Hurricane Sandy changed everything for me. Half of my house was destroyed along with all of our cars. The damage was horrible and I was going crazy trying to keep all the pets warm and safe. My son was traumatized by the storm because he saw one of the trees coming towards the house and had to jump down a flight of stairs to escape before it hit. I was stuck without a car for a while and had to walk to stores, the post office, etc. It was taking too long to get to places so I wondered if I could run down one block to make it quicker. The next day I ran down 2 blocks and the rest is history. My husband named me “Forest Gump” because I never stopped once I started. I was fortunate to work with wonderful teachers who loved running and became my mentors and support group; Jenn Saltzman, Amy Ferraro Thornton, Amy Thompson. They encouraged me and taught me the ropes. Once I started co-teaching with Tara Dungate it became an obsession. A day doesn’t go by that we are not talking about racing. We run countless 5k’s, half marathons, and now full marathons. It is a wonderful to work with someone who keeps you motivated and helps you get through those tough injuries we all face. I must say that whenever I get to a race now I immediately look for fellow hillbillies. I want to always run my best to represent the “Hills” well. I look forward to sharing more the rest of the week.