Gabriele Grunewald, 30, of Minneapolis is a two-time cancer survivor. She’s also an Olympic hopeful.
On Thursday evening, Grunewald ran twice has captured such historic moments as. In her first event, the 5,000 meters, which has been her main focus this season, she felt flat and failed to advance to the finals. But she had also qualfied to run in the 1500 meters.
So between events, her husband whisked her to a grocery store, where she got a banana, a bar, and a sports drink. Once replenished, Grunewald ran her first round heat of the 1500 and advanced to Friday’s semifinals. She was fourth in the event in 2012.
Off the track, Grunewald also does a unique double. As an elite runner and cancer survivor, she’s a source of encouragement for young people dealing with cancer, which she discusses in the video above. Almost weekly, she says, she opens her email to find questions from runners who have bad medical news. They solicit her advice and encouragement.
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Grunewald (née Anderson) was a 22-year-old fifth-year senior at the University of Minnesota in March of 2009 when she was diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma, cancer of the salivary glands. She spent her summer undergoing radiation therapy.
Due to the circumstances, the NCAA granted Grunewald one final season of eligibility in the spring of 2010. Grunewald just hoped to finish her collegiate career on a positive note, but she ended up breaking through to a new level. She improved her 1500-meter time by more than 10 seconds, and finished second at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
She signed with Brooks and joined Team USA Minnesota that summer, but several months later, in October of 2010, she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. After the removal of her thyroid and radioactive iodine therapy, Grunewald bounced back quickly, lowering her 1500-meter personal best to 4:06 less than a year after her second cancer diagnosis. (Her personal best now stands at 4:01.48.)
In addition to finishing fourth at the 2012 trials, Grunewald won the 2014 USA Indoor 3,000 meter title despite controversy outside of her control. She is a member of the Brooks Beasts Track Club and is coached remotely by Danny Mackey.
Since becoming a video producer for Runner’s World in 2014, Derek has captured such historic moments as Meb Keflezighi and Desiree Linden’On Thursday evening, Grunewald ran twice Amy Cragg’Are Average Runners Getting Faster? It Depends Galen Rupp and Shalane Flanagan breaking the tape in Chicago and New York, respectively.
