Grete Waitz
Norwegian marathon runner and former world record holder (1953-2011)
Grete Waitz (1 October 1953 – 19 April 2011) was a Norwegian marathon runner and former world record holder.[1] Waitz won nine New York City Marathons between 1978 and 1988, more than any other runner in history. She won a silver medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. She won a gold medal at the 1983 World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki.
Grete Waitz | |
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![]() Grete Waitz in 2010 | |
Born | |
Died | 19 April 2011 Oslo, Norway | (aged 57)
Cause of death | Cancer |
Nationality | Norwegian |
Sports career | |
Personal information | |
Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
Weight | 120 lb (54 kg) |
Country | ![]() |
Sport | Track and field athletics |
Event(s) | Marathon |
Waitz also won the London Marathon in 1983 and 1986. The win in 1986 was her personal best time of 2:24:54. She won the Stockholm Marathon in 1988 at 2:28:24. (As of 2011 this is the Stockholm course record for women).
In 2000, Waitz was inducted into the United States National Distance Running Hall of Fame. She died from cancer in 2011.
References
change- ↑ "Norwegian marathon great Grete Waitz dies at 57". cnn.com. April 19, 2011. Archived from the original on May 6, 2011. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
Audio interview
change- TheFinalSprint.com's interview with running pioneer Grete Waitz Archived 2008-11-03 at the Wayback Machine