Grete Waitz

I once saw Grete Waitz run by
At New York’s mile 18.
Her legs were streaked with mud
And yet she made it seem routine.

I later learned it wasn’t mud –
She’s had the runs while racing;
And yet she didn’t care about
The cameras she was facing.

She won that race and many more –
We all admired her pluck;
And yesterday we sadly heard
She’d used up all her luck.

Gone at fifty-seven;
She will always top the charts
As our favorite marathoner
Who forever stole our hearts.

Everyone remembers
When she ran with Fred LeBow;
She supported him for hours
At a pace, for her, too slow.

That isn’t urban legend –
It’s a Grete Waitzish fact.
New York is saddened by her death –
She was a true class act.