Grete Waitz

In First Marathons, Waitz commented, "My two older brothers set a wonderful example for me and since we were always in friendly sibling competition with one another and I tended to follow their training habits, other girls found me tough to bear. That's probably one of the reasons I made the 1972 Olympic team at 18 years old."

Waitz competed in the 1,500 meters in the 1972 Munich Olympics. Although she did not expect to win a medal, she enjoyed the experience and had fun with her friends on the team. She ran a personal best of 4:16 in the 1,500 meters, but the competition was so talented that she did not make it into the final competition. However, she realized that she could eventually become a great runner if she continued to train.

In that same year, Waitz began studying at a teacher's college in Oslo, fitting her training into the early hours before school. In 1974, she won a bronze medal in the 1,500 meters at the European Championships, and was named Norwegian Athlete of the Year.

As Waitz matured, she began running longer distances, and in 1975, set a world record in the 3,000 meters. It was only the second time she had raced that distance. In that same year, she was ranked No. 1 in the world in the 1,500 meters and 3,000 meters.