Runner's World on Bill, Grete & Fred

Fred, Bill, Grete, the New York City Marathon, and a movie that tells all their stories by Amby Burfoot

I thought about Fred on Monday at a New York Road Runners luncheon that kicked off the organization's celebration of its 50th anniversary. Two of the New York City Marathon's greatest champions, Bill Rodgers and Grete Waitz, were invited to the lunch. That evening, we all attended a special screening of "Run For Your Life," a feature-length documentary movie about Fred and the Marathon. It's a quintessential and easy story to tell: Eastern European immigrant makes good in the big city, finds his passion (running in Fred's case), and combines his chutzpah and unflagging energy to turn that passion into a worldwide phenomenon.

I say "easy to tell" only to emphasize that this doesn't make it easy to film. That Judd Ehrlich's movie, "Run For Your Life", succeeds so spectacularly is a tribute to Ehrlich's own artistry, passion, and of course ... his chutzpah.

That evening, about 500 of us sat eagerly in our seats, waiting for the film to begin--Bill Rodgers, Mary Wittenberg, Kathrine Switzer, Bob Glover, Fred's sister Sarah, his nephew Moshe. But Grete Waitz wasn't one of us. She came to say hello and to greet friends before the movie started. But when the theater grew dark, she stood quietly and walked out.

Grete had told us earlier that she would do this. She is battling cancer herself--she looks and sounds great is about all I know, and all I can tell you--and she said she was worried that the movie would prove too emotional for her. This was probably a good decision. When the lights came back up 90 minutes later, there was scarcely a dry eye in the house.