Grete Waitz, Nine time winner of the New York Marathon, silver medalist in the 1984 Olympic Marathon and one of the giants of distance running, has died of cancer.
Despite not having heard her name in quite awhile, it immediately rung a bell and no wonder, sure used to hear it all the time. Sounds like she remained humble beyond the norm for such world class athleticism.
One of the greats, absolutely no pun intended. I remember reading about her in my dad’s Runner’s World and Running magazines alongside soies about Bill Rodgers, Alberto Salazar, and the like.
I have a wonderful memory of seeing Grete Waitz in the mid-80s when she ran in the Charleston (WV) Distance Run, a 15-mile road race. At the time, we lived about a block from part of the race route and we’d walk over there on race day and cheer on the runners. It was so exciting to see Grete come sailing down the street, way ahead of the pack!
Rest in peace, Grete. You were an inspiration.
Strange that she would die a day after the Boston Marathon.