Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Marathon Great Waitz Dies

The most interesting tidbit of marathon greatness was that she ran the NYC Marathon as a rabbit, an early pacesetter, and to celebrate her retirement from competitive running so she can focus on her job as a teacher and start a family.  She ended up winning, quit her job teaching, and never had kids.  Marathon greatness from the NY Times
Grete Waitz, Norwegian Marathon Runner, Dies
By MARK McDONALD
Published: April 19, 2011
Grete Waitz, the splendid Norwegian runner who set a world mark in her first marathon, in New York City in 1978, died of cancer on Tuesday in Oslo. She was 57.
Her death was confirmed by her husband, Jack.
Ms. Waitz was just 18 when she competed in the women’s 1,500-meter race at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. She was eliminated in the first round in Munich but her career as a competitive runner and pioneering athlete was just getting started.
Grete Waitz crossing the finish line of the New York Marathon in 1983.
Photo from AP

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