On October 22, 1978, Grete Waitz set the female world record at the New York City Marathon, clocking in at an impressive two hours, 32 minutes and 30 seconds. The distance runner would become synonymous with marathons, the New York City Marathon in particular, winning it nine times. Her athleticism, displayed at many races including the 1984 Olympics, was inspiring as was her generous philanthropy to causes close to her heart. Even though she died in 2011 from cancer, her record-breaking endurance continues to inspire countless female and male runners to crush their daily runs and races.
Born on October 1, 1953 in Oslo, Norway, Grete was a successful teen runner in her native Norway. After winning many junior titles in races ranging from 400 meters to 5000 meters, Fred Lebow – the co-founder and director of the New York City Marathon – invited her to run in the 1978 race where she set the world record. A year later, at the 1979 New York City Marathon, Waitz became the first woman to run a marathon in under two and a half hours. From 1978 to 1988, Waitz won a record-setting nine NYC Marathons. Aside from achieving success in the New York City race, Waitz won the London Marathon in 1983 and 1984. She also won gold at the 1983 World Championships and was a five-time winner at the World Cross Country Championships. She was unable to run the 1980 Olympics because her country along with many others had decided to boycott it, but in 1984 she got silver in the marathon, losing to American distance powerhouse, Joan Benoit. Aside from coming in second in the race, Waitz made history as she ran in the first ever women’s marathon in Olympic history. Her last New York City Marathon was in November 1992. Her friend and co-founder of the race, Fred Lebow, had been diagnosed with brain cancer in 1990. They ran the race together in celebration of his 60th birthday.
An empathetic citizen of the world, Waitz was not just dedicated to shaving off seconds and minutes from her races. She was also a dedicated philanthropist. Some of her charity work included the International Special Olympics and CARE International. When she was diagnosed with cancer in 2005, Waitz partnered with her former sponsor, Adidas, to raise money for cancer treatment centers. When she died in 2011, the ING New York City Marathon was dedicated to her memory and her husband ran the race in her honor.
Six years after her death, Waitz remains an inspiration to runners who consistently pound the pavement to clock miles and power through their runs and races… including those slated to run in the 2017 ING New York City Marathon on November 5!
