Grete Waitz
Grete Waitz
Grete Waitzwas a Norwegian marathon runner and former world record holder. In 1979, she became the first woman in history to run the marathon in under two and a half hours. She 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 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and a gold medal at the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki. Her other marathon victories included winning the...
NationalityNorwegian
ProfessionRunner
Date of Birth1 October 1953
CountryNorway
There is something about the ritual of the race - putting on the number, lining up, being timed - that brings out the best in us.
Everyone wins the marathon. We all have the same feeling at the start-nervous, anxious, excited. It is a broader, richer, and even with twenty-seven thousand people-more intimate experience than I found when racing in track. New York is the marathon that all the biggest stars want to win, but has also been the stage for an array of human stories more vast than any other sporting event.
I'm never going to run this again.
My goal has always been to introduce other people to running. They might accomplish something they never thought they could.
Sustained motivation is essential to achieving your potential.
Spend at least some of your training time, and other parts of your day, concentrating on what you are doing in training and visualizing your success.
My basic philosophy can be summed up by an expression we use in Norwegian: hurry slowly. Get there, but be patient.
To suddenly be a hero on a world basis was hard for me to understand. God gave me a gift. I got the chance to use it. I didn't think I deserved what people were saying. My talent is just more visible than theirs.
Another inspiration that has helped me get through has been Lance Armstrong's story. My cancer is not nearly as bad as his, but I believe in staying motivated and keeping as fit as you can.
When I came to New York in 1978, I was a full-time school teacher and track runner, and determined to retire from competitive running. But winning the New York City Marathon kept me running for another decade.
One day you are happy and laughing and the next you are crying.
For a couple of days after chemotherapy, food tastes really bland, even the best foods. I haven't been sick, but have been a little tired. I haven't lost any weight.
I tried to keep it secret, but the story got into the newspapers. It was more difficult for my family, who couldn't understand why the media wouldn't leave me in peace.
I don't think I would have been such a good runner if I hadn't enjoyed it.