Grete Waitz: In Her Own Words

Grete Waitz was a nine-time New York City Marathon champion and the founding chairwoman of the NYRR Foundation, which has evolved into NYRR Community Impact. Her accomplishments—both as an athlete and as an advocate for health and fitness opportunities for all—were extraordinary, and yet she was known for her grace and modesty as much as for her competitiveness and grit.

Grete’s own words speak to what made her special, both on and off the roads.

Patience and Perseverance

“My basic philosophy can be summed up by an expression we use in Norwegian: hurry slowly. Get there, but be patient.”

“Sustained motivation is essential to achieving your potential.”

Competition and Drive

“You’ve got to look for tough competition. You’ve got to want to beat the best.”

“There is something about the ritual of the race—putting on the number, lining up, being timed—that brings out the best in us.”

“For every finish-line tape a runner breaks—complete with the cheers of the crowd and the clicking of hundreds of cameras—there are the hours of hard and often lonely work.”

Humility and Grace

"God gave me a gift. I got the chance to use it. I felt uncomfortable with the credit. I didn't think I deserved what people were saying. My talent is just more visible than theirs."

Community and Giving Back

“My second career started at the finish line of my last race, and it revolves around my passion to educate people about the benefits of health and fitness.”

“To my way of thinking, past achievements are not important in and of themselves. It’s what we do with those achievements that counts.”