Olympic Track & Field Codexery

Grete Waitz

Norwegian marathon pioneer and nine-time New York City Marathon winner.

Last updated

From 1978 through 1988, Waitz claimed first place in the New York City Marathon nine times, a record for most wins in any major city marathon.[1]

Key facts and history

Born Grete Andersen in Oslo, Norway, she initially struggled to gain her parents' support for her running career.[2][3] Waitz ran her first marathon in 1978 in New York City, winning in 2:32:30 and breaking the world record.[4][3] Waitz set world records four times in the marathon and twice at the 3000 metres.[5][6] Cancer claimed Waitz's life on 19 April 2011 when she was 57 years old.[7]

What the cited sources add

A World Athletics feature notes that Waitz won the 1983 London Marathon in 2:25:29.7, her fourth world best in five years.[6] The World Athletics feature describes how her husband and coach Jack Waitz persuaded her to try the marathon in New York in 1978.[6] The World Athletics feature recounts that Waitz won her fifth world cross country title in March 1983 at Gateshead.[6] The Avon profile mentions that after retirement she became an author and global health and fitness advocate.[3]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Grete Waitz" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Grete Waitz – A Life in the Lead", nyrr.org; Turnbull, "How marathon greats Waitz and Kristiansen made a name for themselves", World Athletics, 22 April 2023; Robbins, "Grete Waitz, Marathon Champion, Dies at 57", The New York Times, 2011-04-19 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Grete Waitz" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Robbins, "Grete Waitz, Marathon Champion, Dies at 57", The New York Times, 2011-04-19 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Products, "Grete Waitz, Norwegian American Runner", www.lawzone.com. facts only, no text reused. lawzone.com
  4. Wikipedia, "Grete Waitz" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "New York Road Runners Official Race Results", results.nyrr.org; "untitled", www.arrs.run (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Grete Waitz" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Guinness World Records 2015", Guinness World Records, 2014 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Turnbull, "How marathon greats Waitz and Kristiansen made a name for themselves", World Athletics, 22 April 2023. facts only, no text reused. worldathletics.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Grete Waitz" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Langset, "Grete Waitz er død", Aftenposten, 19 April 2011; "Marathon great Grete Waitz dies at 57", ESPN, 19 April 2011; "Marathon great Grete Waitz dies at 57 from cancer", Yahoo! News; "Grete Waitz får begravelse på statens regning", Verdens Gang, 21 April 2011; Berglund, "Grete Waitz to receive state funeral", Views and News from Norway, 21 April 2011 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Grete Waitz (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Career statistics and honours

Awards and honours

Representing
1972Olympic GamesMunich, Germanyheats1500 m4.16.0
1974European ChampionshipsRome, Italy3rd1500 m4.05.2
1976Olympic GamesMontreal, Canadasemi-final1500 m4.04.80
1977IAAF World CupDüsseldorf, Germany1st3000 metres8:43.50
1978World Cross Country ChampionshipsGlasgow, United Kingdom1st4.728 km16:19
European ChampionshipsPrague, Czech Republic3rd3000 metres8:34.33
New York City MarathonNew York, NY, United States1stMarathon2:32:30
1979World Cross Country ChampionshipsLimerick, Ireland1st5.04 km16:48
IAAF World CupMontreal, Canada2nd3000 metres8:38.59
New York City MarathonNew York, NY, United States1stMarathon2:27:33
1980World Cross Country ChampionshipsParis, France1st4.82 km15:05
New York City MarathonNew York, NY, United States1stMarathon2:25:41
1981World Cross Country Championships1st4.41 km14:07
1982World Cross Country ChampionshipsRome, Italy3rd4.663 km14:43.9
New York City MarathonNew York, NY, United States1stMarathon2:27:14
1983World Cross Country ChampionshipsGateshead, United Kingdom1st4.072 km13:29
London Marathon1stMarathon2:25:29
World ChampionshipsHelsinki, Finland1stMarathon2:28:09
New York City MarathonNew York, NY, United States1stMarathon2:27:00
1984World Cross Country ChampionshipsEast Rutherford, NJ, United States3rd5 km15:58
Olympic Games2ndMarathon2:26:18
New York City MarathonNew York, NY, United States1stMarathon2:29:30
1985New York City MarathonNew York, NY, United States1stMarathon2:28:34
1986London MarathonLondon, United Kingdom1stMarathon2:24:54
New York City MarathonNew York, NY, United States1stMarathon2:28:06
1988Stockholm MarathonStockholm, Sweden1stMarathon2:28:24
Olympic GamesSeoul, South Korea–Marathon
New York City MarathonNew York, NY, United States1stMarathon2:28:07
1990New York City MarathonNew York, NY, United States4thMarathon2:34:34

Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Grete Waitz (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.

Related entries

Named in this entry

PragueMontreal

More in Olympic Track & Field

Haile GebrselassieHeike DrechslerHicham El GuerroujAbebe BikilaAnita WłodarczykArmin HaryAshton EatonDaley ThompsonDick FosburyFanny Blankers-KoenJackie Joyner-KerseeAllyson Felix

Test yourself

Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.

1. In what year was Grete Waitz born?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 1953.

From the source: “Grete Waitz, (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. ”

2. In which place was Grete Waitz born?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Oslo, Norway.

From the source: “Born Grete Andersen in Oslo, Norway, Waitz was a talented young runner, but had difficulty in getting her parents to take her potential profession seriously.”

3. In what year did Grete Waitz die?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 2011.

From the source: “Waitz died of cancer on 19 April 2011, aged 57.”

Answers checked against the source article

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

Spotted an error? Know more?

Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced

Comments

Loading…
Open in the interactive codex →