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On a crisp October morning in 1978, an unassuming schoolteacher from Norway stepped up to the starting line of the New York City Marathon. Grete Waitz, a world-class middle-distance runner, had never raced beyond 3,000 meters. That day, she would not only cover 26.2 miles for the first time but also redefine women’s marathoning in a way no one could have predicted.

An Accidental Marathoner

At the time, Waitz was a highly accomplished track athlete, having competed in the 1972 and 1976 Olympics in the 1,500 meters. Her husband and coach, Jack Waitz, believed she had the endurance for the marathon and convinced her to give it a try. The New York City Marathon, then in its third year of running through all five boroughs, was growing in popularity, with nearly 10,000 entrants that year—including 1,240 women, a significant number in an era when women’s distance running was still fighting for recognition.

Waitz arrived in New York with no expectations, mostly treating the experience as an experiment. She was given bib “F1,” but that number did not signify any previous success in the marathon—it was merely assigned based on her status as a female elite athlete.

A Race for the Ages

Unlike today’s marathons, where elite runners typically start separately, in 1978, all competitors—professional, amateur, and first-timers alike—began together. The masses surged forward, and Waitz, running with a mix of excitement and nerves, settled into a steady pace.

She was strong early on, but by mile 18, she was frustrated. She had no idea what she was doing, she later recalled, and even threw a cup of water at her husband in irritation when he shouted encouragement. Yet, despite her doubts, she was running at a record-setting pace.

As she entered Central Park, fatigue set in, but she powered through, breaking the tape in 2 hours, 32 minutes, and 30 seconds—a world record at the time. When race director Fred Lebow greeted her at the finish line, she collapsed into his arms, exhausted and overwhelmed.

“I’ll never do another one of these,” she famously said. That promise, of course, didn’t last.

A Legacy of Dominance

That win in 1978 was just the beginning. Waitz would return to New York eight more times, winning a record nine titles between 1978 and 1988. She became the face of women’s marathoning, inspiring countless runners and proving that women not only belonged in the sport but could dominate it.

Her influence stretched beyond New York. In 1983, she won the first-ever Women’s World Championship Marathon, and a year later, she took silver in the first Women’s Olympic Marathon at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, finishing behind Joan Benoit Samuelson.

More Than a Champion

While her records and wins made her a legend, Waitz’s true impact came from the doors she opened for female distance runners. Before her era, women’s marathoning was an afterthought. The Boston Marathon had only officially allowed women to compete in 1972, and many still believed that running long distances was dangerous for women. Waitz shattered those myths.

She continued to race into her 40s and later devoted much of her time to coaching and philanthropy. In 2005, she was diagnosed with cancer, but she faced it with the same resilience she showed on the race course.

Jack Waitz: Continuing the Legacy

Grete’s husband and coach, Jack Waitz, played an instrumental role in her career, guiding her training and race strategies. Following Grete’s passing in 2011, Jack has remained deeply involved in the running community. He continues to share his expertise, offering training advice and motivational tips to runners of all levels. 

Jack’s ongoing commitment ensures that Grete’s legacy endures, inspiring new generations of runners to pursue their passion for the sport.

A Lasting Inspiration

Grete Waitz passed away in 2011 at the age of 57, but her influence is still deeply felt. She was not just a marathoner; she was a trailblazer who proved that women could race—and win—on the biggest stages.

Today, the New York City Marathon regularly features over 50,000 runners, nearly half of them women, a testament to how far the sport has come since 1978. The shoes are faster, the crowds are bigger, and the elites now start separately, but the legacy of Grete Waitz remains woven into the fabric of the event she helped define.

Her first marathon may have been accidental, but her impact on the sport was anything but.

South African distance star Adrian Wildschutt walked away from the Cape Town Marathon with far more than just another strong performance. What began as a pacing assignment quickly evolved into a revealing test of endurance, confidence, and future marathon ambitions.

Wildschutt, who holds the South African national record in the half marathon, had initially planned to guide the elite field through the halfway mark at 21 kilometres. However, feeling comfortable and energized in the race atmosphere, he extended his pacing duties to 25km before deciding to continue deeper into the marathon to test himself over the next 10 kilometres.

The session quickly transformed into an eye-opening lesson for one of South Africa’s most exciting distance-running talents.

Reflecting on the experience afterward, Wildschutt admitted he was encouraged by how his body responded despite not having completed a full marathon-specific training block. He moved smoothly through much of the course before the real demands of the distance began to emerge between 33km and 35km — the point where marathons often become a true test of survival.

Rather than seeing the fatigue as a weakness, Wildschutt viewed it as confirmation that his marathon potential remains largely untapped.

The outing provided valuable insight into the patience, strength, and endurance required over 42.2 kilometres while reinforcing the belief that, with focused preparation, he could develop into a major force in the marathon scene.

For South African athletics fans, the performance offered another exciting glimpse into the future. Already celebrated for his speed on the track and roads — including his national half marathon record — Wildschutt now appears increasingly drawn toward the marathon challenge.

His comments after the race carried both honesty and optimism — acknowledging the challenge of the distance while hinting at untapped potential still waiting to be explored.

If Cape Town was merely an experiment, it may ultimately be remembered as the first real sign of an athlete preparing for something much bigger in the marathon world.

For the second consecutive year, Rory Linkletter has proven that resilience, consistency, and courage still define the soul of marathon running.

The Canadian distance star once again embraced one of the toughest challenges in elite road racing — competing at both the Boston Marathon and the Ottawa Marathon within the span of a single month — and once again delivered performances that placed him among the very best.

In 2025, Linkletter stunned the marathon world by clocking a remarkable 2:07:02 to finish sixth in Boston before returning weeks later to take second place in Ottawa with another elite performance of 2:08:31. Rather than treating the back-to-back races as a one-time experiment, he returned in 2026 and repeated the demanding double with equal determination.

This year, the Canadian standout crossed the line in 2:06:04 at Boston against one of the deepest marathon fields assembled, finishing 14th in a brutally competitive race. Many athletes would have ended their spring season there, but Linkletter chose to push further. In Ottawa, he once again demonstrated his remarkable endurance and competitive spirit, battling his way to third place in 2:09:43.

Running two world-class marathons within weeks is an enormous physical and mental undertaking, especially at such elite speeds. Yet Linkletter has built a reputation around embracing difficult challenges and showing up fearlessly against the world’s strongest fields. His ability to recover quickly and still produce championship-level performances speaks volumes about both his preparation and mindset.

Beyond the finishing times and podium places, Linkletter’s humility continues to resonate with fans across the running world. Reflecting on his demanding back-to-back marathon campaigns, he offered a simple but heartfelt message:

“Just thankful for everyone in my corner.”

That gratitude has become part of what makes his journey so compelling. While marathon running often celebrates records and victories, Linkletter’s story highlights another side of the sport — perseverance, loyalty to the process, and appreciation for the people who make success possible.

In an era where many athletes carefully limit their racing schedules, Rory Linkletter continues to embrace the grind, proving that toughness and consistency remain among the marathon’s most admirable qualities.

The streets of Ottawa were cold, soaked and unforgiving on Sunday morning, but none of it could slow down Elissa Legault’s determined march toward one of the finest performances of her career.

Battling relentless rain and difficult racing conditions at the Ottawa Marathon, Legault emerged as the top Canadian finisher after producing a superb 2:29:13 performance — a time that left her just eight seconds shy of her personal best.

In weather that tested both physical strength and mental resilience, Legault showed remarkable composure from start to finish. While many athletes struggled against the cold temperatures and wet roads, the Canadian standout maintained her rhythm with impressive consistency, turning the challenging conditions into a stage for one of the most courageous runs of the day.

Her performance carried extra significance not only because of the result, but because of the manner in which it was achieved. Running near personal-best pace under ideal weather is difficult enough. Doing it in rain-soaked conditions against biting cold elevates the achievement to another level entirely.

Legault’s effort quickly became one of the defining stories of the marathon as spectators watched her power through the final kilometres with unwavering determination. Finishing as the leading Canadian on home soil added even greater meaning to an already memorable day for the talented distance runner.

The 2:29:13 clocking further confirms Legault’s growing status among Canada’s strongest marathon performers. With form like this — and considering how close she came to her lifetime best despite the difficult conditions — there is every reason to believe even faster times could be ahead in future races.

Sunday’s race was more than just another marathon finish. It was a statement of resilience, toughness and rising ambition from an athlete continuing to build momentum on the international stage.

For the past decade, marathon innovation has revolved around shoes. Carbon plates. Super foams. Lighter and faster racing models that transformed what athletes believed was possible over 26.2 miles.

Now Adidas may have opened the next chapter in performance technology — and this time the breakthrough is not on runners’ feet.

At the 2026 London Marathon, much of the focus centered on the historic performances by Sabastian Sawe and Yomif Kejelcha, who became the first two athletes in history to officially break two hours in the marathon in the same race. But another important development may have quietly emerged alongside those performances: Adidas’s new biomechanical racing suit.

What makes the apparel intriguing is that it is not primarily about aerodynamics. The company’s bigger claim is biomechanical efficiency — helping runners maintain form deeper into the race as fatigue takes over.

Every experienced marathoner understands what happens late in a hard marathon. The hips begin to drop. The pelvis tilts. Posture weakens. Stride efficiency slowly deteriorates. Over the final miles, small mechanical losses become major time losses.

According to Adidas, the suit is designed to slow that breakdown.

Jessica G. Hunter, Adidas’s Manager of Athlete Performance and the leader behind the research project, spent years building the case internally that apparel itself could improve marathon performance. Leadership within the company was skeptical.

“Nobody had ever done it successfully before,” Hunter told The New York Times.

Her research focused on stabilizing the relationship between the core and hips — the key area responsible for keeping runners upright, balanced, and efficient during prolonged fatigue. The conclusion was that traditional apparel systems could not fully achieve that because singlets and shorts function as separate pieces.

“The only way to do that is with a full, connected suit,” Hunter explained.

That detail may prove to be the real innovation.

During the London Marathon broadcast, Kejelcha appeared to be wearing a fairly standard racing setup consisting of half-tights and a singlet. In reality, the upper and lower portions were connected into a single integrated garment. Adidas intentionally designed the suit to avoid looking radical or futuristic.

By comparison, Sawe raced in aerodynamic half-tights paired with a traditional untucked singlet. Every piece of his apparel could be clearly identified separately. Kejelcha’s system operated differently beneath the surface.

The idea of performance-enhancing apparel is hardly new in sports. Swimming saw a revolution — and eventual controversy — when full-body suits contributed to a flood of world records in 2008 and 2009. Cycling has long embraced skinsuits designed for aerodynamics and body stabilization. Running, however, has remained comparatively conservative outside the shoe revolution.

That may now be changing.

The timing is significant because marathon performances continue to improve at an astonishing rate. When races are decided by seconds rather than minutes, even marginal improvements become valuable. If a connected biomechanical suit helps an athlete maintain efficient posture just slightly longer over the final 10K, the competitive impact could be enormous.

The larger question is whether this represents the future of marathon racing or simply another experimental step in the sport’s endless pursuit of speed.

Either way, London may have marked the beginning of a new era — one where what runners wear from shoulders to hips becomes almost as important as what they wear on their feet.

More than a decade after her husband etched his name into the history books of the Ottawa Marathon, Ethiopian-born star Yemane Tsegay has another reason to celebrate — this time through the remarkable triumph of his wife, Abeba Aregawi.

Back in 2014, Yemane produced one of the finest performances ever witnessed on the streets of Ottawa, storming to victory in a course-record time of 2:06:54. His dominant run remains one of the most memorable moments in the history of the race and established his legacy as one of the marathon’s great champions.

Now, in a beautiful continuation of that family legacy, Abeba Aregawi has written her own chapter in Ottawa’s rich distance-running history.

Competing in the women’s race at the 2026 Ottawa Marathon, the Ethiopian-born athlete delivered a composed and world-class performance to cross the finish line in 2:22:55, securing a brilliant victory and adding another golden moment to the family’s remarkable résumé.

Her victory was more than just another marathon win. It was a story of endurance, partnership, resilience and shared greatness — a rare moment where husband and wife have both stood atop the podium at the same prestigious marathon, years apart.

Aregawi, widely respected for her success on the track before transitioning to longer distances, showed exceptional strength and tactical maturity throughout the race. As the kilometers unfolded through the Canadian capital, she gradually separated herself from the field before powering home to a memorable triumph.

For athletics fans, the emotional connection between the two victories makes the story even more special. Yemane’s course-record heroics in 2014 inspired many East African athletes, and now Abeba has ensured the family name once again echoes proudly across Ottawa’s marathon history.

Their achievements underline not only individual brilliance, but also the extraordinary bond shared by two elite athletes who continue to inspire the global running community.

From Yemane’s unforgettable course record to Abeba’s commanding victory, Ottawa has become more than just another marathon destination for the family — it has become part of their legacy.