Crossing the marathon finish line is one of life�s great emotional moments for any runner.

Crossing the marathon finish line is one of life's great emotional moments for any runner. Doing so as a winner, even more so. Few have experienced that sensation more than Grete Waitz.

This is the 30th anniversary of her first marathon victory, in a world best time in New York. The Norwegian won here a record nine times - the last being 20 years ago this week.

Yet when she spoke on her return, to spectate yesterday, there was no egotism over these victories. She was more moved to talk of her last run in the Big Apple, 16 years ago this weekend. It was her slowest performance: 5:32.34.

She ran the last two miles in tears, side by side with the race's inspirational founder, Fred Lebow, who ran between chemotherapy treatment for terminal brain cancer.

Lebow fell into her arms, and then knelt and kissed the ground at the finish, his medal round his neck. He could not rise again. Waitz had to lift him. He died less than two years later.

"It was the most emotional race of my life," Waitz confirmed. She has never run another marathon. "That race with Fred makes up for the tenth that I never won."

It was Lebow's charisma and drive, and the success with his creation, which inspired the late Chris Brasher to launch the London Marathon (Waitz also won there twice) and these in turn have led to a world wide series, the World Marathon Majors, along with Berlin, Chicago and Boston. Collectively they attract 300,000 applicants annually, 250 million television viewers, and raise more than £50m for charity.

Few, if any, have done more to make this happen than Waitz, so all 39,000 finish medals yesterday bore her image on the front, and on the reverse, the legend: "Grete Waitz, the greatest champion in New York City Marathon history."

At 17 she set a European junior 1500 metres record, and took European bronze at the distance in 1974. She set world records at 3000m on the track, and at 8k, 10k 15k and 10 miles on the road. She won the world cross-country title five times.

The Norwegian was inaugural world marathon champion in 1983, and took silver the following year in the first Olympic marathon for women. In all, she improved the women's world best at the distance by nine minutes. She was also the mentor of Scotland's Liz McColgan at the peak of her career, when she set a world half marathon best and won here with the then fastest ever debut, 17 years ago yesterday.

But now, at 55, Waitz is in another race, for her life. She has been battling cancer herself for more than three years. She won't specify where until she has beaten it. She has chemo every three weeks, and runs before and after each treatment, while raising funds for research through her foundation, Active Against Cancer.

The family tradition was continued yesterday by Grete's brother, running for the 27th time, his wife and Grete's niece and nephew.