Grete Waitz

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 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight	120 lb (54 kg)
Sport
Country	Norway
Sport	Sport of athletics
Event	Marathon
Medal record Olympic Games 1984 Los Angeles Marathon World Championships 1983 Helsinki Marathon World Cross Country Championships 1978 Glasgow women's race 1979 Limerick women's race 1980 Paris women's race 1981 Madrid women's race 1983 Gateshead women's race 1982 Rome women's race 1984 East Rutherford women's race European Championships 1974 Rome 1500 m 1978 Prague 3000 m IAAF World Cup 1977 Düsseldorf 3000 m 1979 Montreal 3000 m Marathons 1978 New York City Marathon 1979 New York City Marathon 1980 New York City Marathon 1982 New York City Marathon 1983 New York City Marathon 1983 London Marathon 1984 New York City Marathon 1985 New York City Marathon 1986 New York City Marathon 1986 London Marathon 1988 New York City Marathon 1988 Stockholm Marathon

Grete Waitz (née Andersen, 1 October 1953 – 19 April 2011) was a Norwegian marathon runner and former world record holder. In 1979, at the New York City Marathon, she became the first woman in history to run the marathon in under two and a half hours. Waitz won nine New York City Marathons, women's division, between 1978 and 1988, the highest number of victories in a single big city marathon in history. She won the silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and a gold medal at the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki. She was also a five-time winner of the World Cross Country Championships.^[1][2][3]

Waitz four times set a world record in the marathon, twice at the 3000 metres, and she set world records at distances of 8 kilometers, 10 kilometers, 15 kilometers and 10 miles. She won 12 World Marathon Majors, the most for any runner, earning her a place in the Guinness World Records.^[4] Her other marathon victories included winning the London Marathon in 1983 and 1986 and the Stockholm Marathon in 1988.