The running world, and the world in general, lost a wonderful person the other day with the death of Grete Waitz.  She was an inspiration to thousands of young women, as well as men, including this one.

Norwegian Athletics Federation president Svein Arne Hansen said, "Grete is in my eyes one of the greatest Norwegian athletes of all time.  Not only through her performances in the sport, but also as a role model for women in sports."
Marathon world record-holder Paula Radcliffe described Waitz as "an amazing champion and more amazing person."

Grete Waitz was arguably one of the world's finest athletes. A high school teacher in her native Oslo, Norway, she dominated the international running scene during the seventies and eighties. Her achievements included fifteen world records and eight number one rankings at various distances from 1,500 meters to the marathon. In the process, Grete won five World Cross Country Championships, nine New York City Marathons, two London Marathons, a gold medal at the 1983 World Championship Marathon in Helsinki and a silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Marathon in Los Angeles. In 1982, Grete became the only athlete to receive St. Olav's Medal, given by the King of Norway for Outstanding Citizenship. In 1991, Runner's World selected Grete as the best distance runner in the world in the last century.

I briefly met Grete at a pre-race event in Syracuse in the late 1980s.  She was there to run the Freihofer’s Run for Women (which she won) and Mary and I were there to hear her speak.  I had just published my first book, “Runner’s Guide to Cross Country Skiing,” and knowing she was a skier as well as a runner, wanted to give her a copy.  This was long before the days of handlers and so I just walked up, introduced myself, and asked her to sign a copy.  Mary snapped a photo.

Over the years, I’ve always smiled at the bemused look on Grete’s face as she graciously signed the book, wondering, “Who is this guy?”  She was classy about it and it was about 30 seconds of interaction -- but something I’ve always remembered.  Grete Waitz was a remarkable athlete but much more than that.  Marathon world record-holder Paula Radcliffe speaks for many when she describes Grete Waitz as "an amazing champion and more amazing person." R.I.P.

In 1985, Olympic gold medal winner Joan Benoit Samuelson ran the Chicago Marathon, finishing in 2:21:21 and setting an American record that lasted until 2003.  Last Sunday, she was back to Chicago on the 25th anniversary of that event, and set a record again and nearly qualifying for the Olympic Trials.

I had the privilege of meeting Joan back in 1991 at a conference in Maine where she was our keynote speaker.  I sat across from her at lunch and remember talking to her about my first book (Runner’s Guide to Cross Country Skiing) and giving her a copy.  I still have her gracious note back to me and that’s the person I remember, a gracious, grounded mom -- listening to others, chatting like a middle-of-the-pack runner -- and then delivering a powerful fitness message to the attendees.

Of course, I saved my notes from her talk.  “You need to be grounded ... home and family ... using imagery to put the mind at ease.  Set aside 1 or 2 hours a day to do something for yourself.  Life is a balancing act.”

She had passed on the 1988 Olympics because of her daughter born the fall before but she talked to us about her thinking about the 1992 Barcelona games -- how she’d have to uproot her family for a month to a hot place, how Scott would have to use up his leave .. and how she was leaning toward a 10K even though her chances of qualifying were better in the marathon.  (As it turned out, she was injured and did not participate.)  She was a delight and you’d never have known that she was the first woman to win an Olympic gold medal in the marathon.

In Chicago last Sunday, as noted above, she nearly qualified for the Olympic Trials.  She needed a 2:46 and came close: she finished in 2:47:50, taking 43rd place and becoming the fastest woman over 51 years old in history. She is an amazing athlete and person.

Elite athletes can be jerks or they can be wonderful examples for others.  Joan Benoit Samuelson, has not only had a great running career, raising a family, supporting women’s running and a number of charities, fighting injuries, while keeping her grace and most of her speed and endurance.  It’s cool to see her compete with women 20 years younger but it’s also great to see this icon of running, like her buddy Bill Rogers, get out there and show us that they still love to run - and still love to compete.  One young woman runner/blogger put it like this after being in a race with her this month: “She's almost old enough for AARP and her 5K pace is sub-6:00.”   

I enjoy following the career of Joan Samuelson and marvel how she  balances elite running with all her other interests.  I fondly recall that young woman who talked to us nearly two decades ago about her love of running in the foggy mornings in Maine, her balancing act with her young family, and her guiding practices: determination, dedication, and desire.

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photo  from Wikipedia