Grete Waitz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Grete Waitz

Waitz in New York City in 2010
Personal information
Born	(1953-10-01)1 October 1953 Oslo, Norway
Died	19 April 2011(2011-04-19) (aged 57) Oslo, Norway
Height	5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m)
Weight	120 pounds (54 kg)
Sport
Country	Norway
Sport	Sport of athletics
Event(s)	Marathon
Medal record Olympic Games Silver 1984 Los Angeles Marathon World Championships Gold 1983 Helsinki Marathon World Cross Country Championships Gold 1978 Glasgow women's race Gold 1979 Limerick women's race Gold 1980 Paris women's race Gold 1981 Madrid women's race Gold 1983 Gateshead women's race Bronze 1982 Rome women's race Bronze 1984 East Rutherford women's race European Championships Bronze 1974 Rome 1500 m Bronze 1978 Prague 3000 m IAAF World Cup Gold 1977 Düsseldorf 3000 m Silver 1979 Montreal 3000 m Marathons Gold 1978 New York City Marathon Gold 1979 New York City Marathon Gold 1980 New York City Marathon Gold 1982 New York City Marathon Gold 1983 New York City Marathon Gold 1983 London Marathon Gold 1984 New York City Marathon Gold 1985 New York City Marathon Gold 1986 New York City Marathon Gold 1986 London Marathon Gold 1988 New York City Marathon Gold 1988 Stockholm Marathon

Grete Waitz (born Andersen, October 1, 1953 – April 19, 2011) was an amazing Norwegian runner. She was known for her incredible skill in marathon races and for holding many world records.

In 1979, at the New York City Marathon, Grete made history. She became the first woman ever to finish a marathon in under two and a half hours! She won the New York City Marathon nine times between 1978 and 1988. This is the most wins by anyone in a major city marathon.

Grete also won a silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. She earned a gold medal at the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki. She was also a five-time champion at the World Cross Country Championships.

Grete Waitz set new world records in the marathon four times. She also broke world records in the 3000 meters race twice. Plus, she set records for distances like 8 kilometers, 10 kilometers, 15 kilometers, and 10 miles. She won 12 World Marathon Majors, which is more than any other runner. This amazing achievement earned her a spot in the Guinness World Records. She also won the London Marathon in 1983 and 1986, and the Stockholm Marathon in 1988.

Grete's Early Life and Training

Grete Andersen was born in Oslo, Norway. When she was young, she was a very talented runner. However, her parents didn't always take her dream of being a professional athlete seriously. Even so, she kept running and even competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. She ran in the 1500 metres race. To help support her running career, she also studied at a teachers college.

Grete's Amazing Running Career

As a teenager, Grete won national junior titles in Norway. She was a champion in both the 400 metres and 800 metres races. When she was 17, she set a European junior record for the 1500 metres. Her time was 4 minutes and 17 seconds. In 1974, she won a bronze medal in this event at the European Athletics Championships.

In 1975, Grete broke the 3000 metres world record in Oslo. She ran it in 8 minutes and 46.6 seconds. A year later, she beat her own record in Oslo with a time of 8 minutes and 45.4 seconds. In 1977, she won a gold medal in the 3000 meters at the first ever IAAF World Cup in Athletics in Düsseldorf. Her personal best time for this race was 8 minutes and 43.50 seconds. Two years later, she won a silver medal in Montreal. Her fastest time ever in the 3000 meters was 8 minutes and 31.75 seconds, which she ran in Oslo.

At the 1978 European Athletics Championships in Prague, Grete ran the 1500 meters. She finished fifth with her best time of 4 minutes and 0.55 seconds. This is still the fastest time for a Norwegian woman in the 1500 meters. In the same championships, she also won a bronze medal in the 3000 meters.

How Grete Conquered the New York City Marathon

Grete's amazing journey with the New York City Marathon began in 1978. The race director, Fred Lebow, invited her to run. In her very first race there, she not only won but also beat the women's course record by two whole minutes! On October 22, 1978, she finished in 2 hours, 32 minutes, and 30 seconds. This was more than 9 minutes faster than the second-place runner. Her winning time was a new world record for the marathon.

Grete went on to win the New York City Marathon nine times! She broke the course record three years in a row. In 1979, she won in 2 hours, 27 minutes, and 33 seconds. In 1980, her winning time was 2 hours, 25 minutes, and 41 seconds.

In 1983, Grete set another world record in the marathon. She ran it in 2 hours, 25 minutes, and 29 seconds in London. Besides her wins in New York and at the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki, she also won the London Marathon in 1983 and 1986. Her fastest time in the marathon was 2 hours, 24 minutes, and 54 seconds, which she ran in London in 1986. She also won the Stockholm Marathon in 1988, setting a course record that still stands for women today.

Grete was also very successful in shorter road races. She won the Falmouth Road Race in 1980. She won the 10-kilometer Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta four times. She also won the L'eggs Mini-Marathon in New York five times. She set world records in road races for 8 km, 10 km (twice!), 15 km, and 10 miles.

She was also a fantastic cross country runner. She won five gold medals at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships (1978–1981 and 1983). She also earned two bronze medals in 1982 and 1984.

Her last race was a victory in the 5000 metres in Oslo in June 1982. Her time was 15 minutes and 8.80 seconds. This was the second-best time in history for that race.

Grete's Olympic Journey

The only major award Grete didn't win was an Olympic gold medal. In 1972 and 1976, she competed in the 1500 meters, which was the longest race allowed for women in the Olympics back then. This distance was much shorter than her best events. In 1980, Norway decided to boycott the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, so she couldn't compete.

At the 1984 Summer Olympics, the marathon was finally open to women. Grete won a silver medal, finishing second to Joan Benoit. In the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, she had to stop during the marathon because of a knee injury.

Grete ran her very last marathon on November 1, 1992, with her good friend Fred Lebow. Fred had been diagnosed with brain cancer. To celebrate his 60th birthday, they ran the New York City Marathon together, finishing in 5 hours, 32 minutes, and 35 seconds.

Grete's Best Running Times

Here are some of Grete's fastest times in different races:

• 1500 metres – 4:00.55 – Prague – September 3, 1978
• One mile – 4:26.90 – Gateshead – July 9, 1978
• 3000 metres – 8:31.75 – Oslo (Bislett) – July 17, 1979
• 15 kilometres – 47:52 – Tampa, FL – February 11, 1984
• Marathon – 2:24:54 – London – April 20, 1986

Grete's Life After Running

Even after she stopped competing at the highest level, Grete continued to run. She also helped organize races for companies. She loved giving advice about running and staying healthy. She also did a lot of charity work, especially for CARE International and the International Special Olympics.

In 2005, it was announced that Grete was getting treatment for cancer. She also coached another famous runner, Liz McColgan. For over 25 years, Grete was an ambassador for the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge Series. She helped promote health and wellness for people who work full-time. She also gave training and motivational tips.

In 2009, Grete started a partnership between her old sponsor, Adidas, and her cancer care foundation, "Aktiv mot kreft" (which means "Active against cancer" in Norwegian). This partnership meant that 5% of the money from Adidas's Grete Waitz and Modern Classics collections would go to her foundation. This money helped create physical training centers in hospitals and buy special medical scanners.

Grete's Passing

Grete Waitz passed away from cancer on April 19, 2011, at the age of 57. She was first diagnosed in 2005. The Norwegian government decided that she would be buried with government honor, which is a very special tribute. She was only the sixth woman in Norwegian history to receive this honor. Her family chose to have a private ceremony.

Grete's Lasting Impact

Grete won 13 out of the 20 marathons she competed in. With nine wins at the New York City Marathon, two at the London Marathon, and one at the World Championships, she holds the record for the most wins in World Major Marathons.

Grete Waitz is widely recognized for helping to make marathon and long-distance running popular for women. In Norway, she is a true sporting legend. There's even an annual race named after her in her honor. The New York Road Runners club also holds an annual event called "Grete's Great Gallop" to honor her.

There is a statue of Grete in the Norway pavilion at EPCOT in Walt Disney World Resort. Another statue of her stands outside Bislett Stadium in Oslo. She has also been featured on a set of stamps. Her portrait is even painted on the tail of a Norwegian Air Shuttle 787 Dreamliner airplane!

In November 2008, King Harald V of Norway made Grete Waitz a Knight 1st Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav. She was only the third sportsperson ever to receive this high award. Grete also received the St. Olav's Medal in 1981 and the Medal of St. Hallvard in 1989.

Grete's Major Achievements

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  Norway
1972	Olympic Games	Munich, Germany	heats	1500 m	4.16.0
1974	European Championships	Rome, Italy	3rd	1500 m	4.05.2
1976	Olympic Games	Montreal, Canada	semi-final	1500 m	4.04.80
1977	IAAF World Cup	Düsseldorf, Germany	1st	3000 metres	8:43.50
1978	World Cross Country Championships	Glasgow, United Kingdom	1st	4.728 km	16:19
	European Championships	Prague, Czech Republic	3rd	3000 metres	8:34.33
	New York City Marathon	New York, NY, United States	1st	Marathon	2:32:30
1979	World Cross Country Championships	Limerick, Ireland	1st	5.04 km	16:48
	IAAF World Cup	Montreal, Canada	2nd	3000 metres	8:38.59
	New York City Marathon	New York, NY, United States	1st	Marathon	2:27:33
1980	World Cross Country Championships	Paris, France	1st	4.82 km	15:05
	New York City Marathon	New York, NY, United States	1st	Marathon	2:25:41
1981	World Cross Country Championships	Madrid, Spain	1st	4.41 km	14:07
1982	World Cross Country Championships	Rome, Italy	3rd	4.663 km	14:43.9
	New York City Marathon	New York, NY, United States	1st	Marathon	2:27:14
1983	World Cross Country Championships	Gateshead, United Kingdom	1st	4.072 km	13:29
	London Marathon	London, United Kingdom	1st	Marathon	2:25:29
	World Championships	Helsinki, Finland	1st	Marathon	2:28:08
	New York City Marathon	New York, NY, United States	1st	Marathon	2:27:00
1984	World Cross Country Championships	East Rutherford, NJ, United States	3rd	5 km	15:58
	Olympic Games	Los Angeles, United States	2nd	Marathon	2:26:18
	New York City Marathon	New York, NY, United States	1st	Marathon	2:29:30
1985	New York City Marathon	New York, NY, United States	1st	Marathon	2:28:34
1986	London Marathon	London, United Kingdom	1st	Marathon	2:24:54
	New York City Marathon	New York, NY, United States	1st	Marathon	2:28:06
1988	Stockholm Marathon	Stockholm, Sweden	1st	Marathon	2:28:24
	Olympic Games	Seoul, South Korea	–	Marathon	DNF
	New York City Marathon	New York, NY, United States	1st	Marathon	2:28:07
1990	New York City Marathon	New York, NY, United States	4th	Marathon	2:34:34

See also

In Spanish: Grete Waitz para niños