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Running Heroes

HEROES OF 2005

Every reason to run is a good one.

Photographs by Patrick Voigt

PUBLISHED 09/22/2006

The Pioneer: Grete Waitz

By Amby Burfoot

The women's running revolution, the biggest sea change in our sport in 30 years, began in Norway, where a young track star, Grete Waitz, broke boundaries as well as records. In 1972, at the Munich Olympics, she ran the 1500 meters, the first time women were allowed to participate in the event. She went on to win the New York City Marathon an almost-inconceivable nine times, a feat achieved by no other runner (male or female), and set three world records. Since then, she has worked as a race organizer and fitness promoter. "My goal has always been to introduce other people to running," says Waitz, now 52. "They might accomplish something they never thought they could." Last spring, Waitz learned she had cancer, a condition she has accepted as a private challenge. "I have always said that I wanted to lead a healthy, happy, and productive life," she says. "That hasn't changed. I hope to get back on course again very soon."