-Grete Waitz (1953-2011)

From NYRR:
Grete Waitz, nine-time New York City Marathon winner, four-time world marathon record-setter, and four-time Olympian, has died after a long battle with cancer. She was 57.

A native of Norway, Waitz kept a home in New York City and was a great friend of NYRR. She was instrumental in founding our now-nationwide youth programs and was a current NYRR board member. We all mourn the loss of a great champion in life as well as in sport.

Statement from Mary Wittenberg
“We are sad to lose a dear friend and our most decorated champion, Grete Waitz, who passed away today. Her strength and grace throughout her fight with cancer were incredible, and when so many people would have crumbled she stood strong and positive.

“Grete was a great champion in life as well as in sport. Grete is forever part of NYRR, and we treasure every moment we had with her. Her legacy lives on through the ING New York City Marathon, Grete’s Great Gallop, the NYRR New York Mini 10K, and our youth programs. She was deeply important in making our marathon what it is today, and she inspired generations of women, including athletes like Paula Radcliffe and Deena Kastor. That inspiration will continue.

“We will forever celebrate Grete in our hearts and as an inspiration and role model for women’s running.

“If Grete had to go, it is somehow fitting that she lived until the day after one of the greatest weekends in the sport of marathon running.”

—Mary Wittenberg, President and CEO, New York Road Runners

more info…

slide show…

On the Run, a blog about the New York City Marathon. The Marathon this year is on November 7 and will have about 43,000 runners. So looking forward to it!

A Running Start, a free online coaching resource developed by New York Road Runners in response to rising obesity levels in children.

Enjoy and wishing all a happy healthy weekend!

To honor Earth Day (April 22), I thought of sharing and recommending the children’s book, On the Day You Were Born by Debra Frasier. The story is marvelous and the illustrations are just beautiful.

On the Day You Were Born

by Debra Frasier

On the eve of your birth

word of your coming

passed from animal to animal.

The reindeer told the Artic terns,

who told the humpback whales,

who told the Pacific salmon,

who told the monarch butterflies,

who told the green turtles,

who told the European eel,

who told the busy garden warblers,

and the marvelous news migrated worldwide.

While you waited in darkness,

tiny knees curled to chin,

the Earth and her creatures

with the Sun and the Moon

all moved in their places,

each ready to greet you

the very first moment

of the very first day you arrived.

On the day you were born

the round planet Earth

turned toward your morning sky,

whirling paste darkness,

spinning the night into light.

On the day you were born

gravity’s strong pull

held you to the Earth

with a promise that you

would never float again…

…while deep in space

the burning Sun

sent up towering flames,

lighting your sky

from dawn until dusk.

On the day you were born

the quiet Moon glowed

and offered to bring

a full, bright face,

each month, to your windowsill…

…while high above the North Pole,

Polaris, the glittering North Star,

stood still, shining silver light

into your night sky.

On the day you were born

the Moon pulled on the ocean below,

and, wave by wave,

a rising tide washed the beaches

clean for your footprints…

…while far out at sea

clouds swelled with water drops,

sailed to shore on a wind,

and rained you a welcome

across the Earth’s green lands.

On the day you were born

a forest of tall trees

collected the Sun’s light

in their leaves,

where, in silent mystery,

they made oxygen

for you to breathe…

…while close to your skin

and as high as the sky,

air rushed in and blew about,

invisibly protecting you

and all living things on Earth.

On the day you were born

the Earth turned, the Moon pulled,

the Sun flared, and, then, with a push,

you slipped out of the dark quiet

where suddenly you could hear…

…a circle of people singing

with voices familiar and clear.

“Welcome to the spinning world,” the people sang,

as they washed your new, tiny hands.

“Welcome to the green Earth,” the people sang,

as they wrapped your wet, slippery body.

And as they held you close

they whispered into your open, curving ear,

“We are so glad you’ve come!”

Enjoy…and best wishes to all the Boston Marathon runners!

…a marathon, not a sprint.

We’ve heard that so many times and it’s so true. It doesn’t matter how much we try to rush things, the result is always the same: everything takes time.

I’ve never ran a marathon. But in the races I’ve ran, I have learned how every single step and breath we take is important to get to the next mile. So when we set our minds to develop a healthy and active lifestyle, work in the studio or simply find what fulfill us — the answer is time, time, time. Learning how to be patient and let life guide us makes us the winners and best runners of life!

With the marathon in mind, I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Looking at art is a fantastic way of seeing and learning the history of the world. And one of the best places to find that is at the Met. I learn something new every time I visit the museum.

I visited the Greek and Roman Art galleries to find how artists interpreted running at the time. As all runners probably know, the idea of the marathon began after the legend of the Greek soldier Pheidippides. He ran from the city of Marathon to Athens to bring news of the Greek victory over the Persians. When he arrived in Athens, he said: Rejoice, we conquer!, and then collapsed and died.

As I browsed the galleries, I found a wonderful amphora by the potter Nikias from the Panathenaic games in the sixth century B.C. I don’t know if it depicts a long distance race, but I loved everything about it: the colors and the beautiful figures of fit runners. And I especially enjoyed that the amphora was originally filled with olive oil and given as a winning prize. How delicious!

I left the museum thinking about the healthy things I would run a race for…

I will definitely keep the olive oil for first prize. The amphora was large (about 10 gallons of olive oil), but I’m flexible and would run for a 34 oz bottle of olive oil. The second prize would have to be honey. I’m like a bear — I can’t have enough of it and put it on everything possible. And the third prize I would run for is a reasonable amount of fresh fruits and vegetables — can’t have enough of them either.

Life is…pretty sweet!

Today, at the ING New York City Marathon, I saw runners smile, cry, and in pain. But they all had something in common: a feeling of accomplishment.

I heard so many different languages in Central Park. It inspires me that runners from all over the world came to this magical city – some not even knowing a word of English – to physically and mentally take themselves out of their comfort zone to follow a cause, a dream, a passion.

They inspire me to take myself out of my comfort zone. And to always look forward to the finish line: a future of infinite, positive, happy, and creative possibilities.

Paula Radcliffe (Great Britain), winner of women’s division. She finished in 2:23:09, and she just had a baby in January!
Photo: AP Photo/Kathy Willens