Congratulations to Singaporean Dr Ben Tan, Dr Benny Goh and David Tay for completing the tough New York City Marathon! They achieved it in splendid times, with Benny completing it in 2:52, Ben in 3:10 and David in 3:44, for a hilly course that covers all the five boroughs. Entry is by your previous fastest times, or by the luck of the draw in the NYCM Lottery.
The late-Norwegian track star and Olympian, Grete Waitz won the NYC Marathon in 1978 (with Bill Rodgers in the Men’s section). The, then unknown, runner or #1173 won the NYCM a total of nine times, setting three world records in her first marathon. The legendary story told was that she threw her shoes down after completing her maiden 42.195K, which actually was directed at her husband Jack, because she hurt in that race. The track star, Grete ran the race ‘blind’ never exceeding 12 miles for her longest run. Nobody knew who she was for she was a late entry.
Today, the woman’s race begins first; the rules changed in 2002 when originally it was a co-ed, mass start. As reported earlier, the late-Fred Lebow masterminded this race and never ran it until just before his death. Grete came out of retirement to run with her dear friend Fred, side-by-side, for his completion. Grete attributed Lebow for getting her initiated to the marathon, where her potential shone. Ironically, both icons had cancer and we lost two influential leaders in the global running community.
Leadership Lessons: When were you ever a ‘late entry’? What was it like to fill in somebody’s shoes at the last moment? What was it like being ‘blind’ to the conditions of an event or challenge? Which personal values do you draw on when you plunge into a new challenge? How do you face a challenge of epic proportions?
