NYRR Sends Delegation To Pay Tribute To Grete Waitz

The Norwegian legend had close ties with the New York running community.

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A delegation from the New York Road Runners went to Oslo to pay tribute to the late Grete Waitz, the nine-time ING New York City Marathon champion who lost her life to cancer at 57 years old on April 19.  The Road Runners’ president and CEO Mary Wittenberg led the delegation, which included Olympic gold medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson, broadcaster Toni Reavis, NYRR Board Chairman George Hirsh, NYRR marketing chief Ann Wells Crandall, and NYRR media director Richard Finn.

The tribute to Waitz will be held at Bislett Stadium today, and Wittenberg is expected to be one of the speakers.

“She is our sport’s towering legend,” Wittenberg said i a press release shortly after the news was broken. “I believe not only in New York, but around the world, marathoning is what it is today because of Grete. She was the first big time female track runner to step up to the marathon and change the whole sport.”