Nine-time New York City Marathon champion Grete Waitz, who also won the first women's World Championship marathon and was silver medalist in the first women's Olypic marathon, has been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing treatment in her native Norway.
Waitz, 51, the first woman to run the 26.2-mile distance in less than 2 hours, 30 minutes, won New York from 1978-80, 1982-86 and 1988. She also won the London Marathon twice (1983, 1986) and was a five-time world cross-country champion.
1. Grete Waitz was my hero and idol as a high school athlete. It has broken my heart to learn of her cancer diagnosis. Is there any information about what type of cancer or the prognosis. I cannot find this information anywhere.
Posted at 7:14PM on Jun 23rd 2005 by sarah