Emma Cabrera Palafox

Emma Cabrera Palafox (born 5 May 1964) is a Mexican former long-distance runner who competed mainly in marathon. She was a two-time champion at the Central American and Caribbean Games and once at the Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics. She was a bronze medallist at the 1995 Pan American Games. Her personal best was 2:35:43 hours.

Career Born in Carboneras near Mineral del Chico, Cabrera had her first sub-three hour marathon in 1991, finishing the Houston Marathon in 2:53:54 hours. Her global debut followed at the 1994 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, where she was 60th overall. She ran her marathon best that year – 2:35:43 hours for runner-up at the Monterrey Marathon. She won two further regional titles in the 1990s: she topped the half marathon podium at the 1995 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics before defending her regional marathon crown at the 1998 Central American and Caribbean Games.

Cabrera was the 1996 winner of the Marine Corps Marathon in a time of 2:48:34 hours, becoming only the second non-American woman to win the race. Among other circuit wins were the Mexico City Marathon in 1994, and three career wins at both the Ciudad de Merida Marathon and the Trabajadores Marathon in Mexico City. She won one national title, coming first in the 10,000 metres at the Mexican Athletics Championships in 1997.

After her career peak, she continued to compete into her fifties and in 2014 completed her 100th half marathon.

International competitions