Our thoughts are with Gabriele Grunwald‘s family and friends. The professional runner tragically died at the young age of 32 on Tuesday after fighting cancer for 10 years. If you don’t know much about the athlete, learn five facts about the runner, below.
1. Gabriele Grunewald’s husband shared the news of her death. The runner’s husband share two pics of him and his wife on his Instagram, and wrote a lengthy caption revealing that Gabriele died on June 11. “At 7:52 I said ‘I can’t wait until I get to see you again’ to my hero, my best friend, my inspiration, my life,” he said in the caption. “I always felt like the Robin to your Batman and I know I will never be able to fill this gaping hole in my heart or fill the shoes you have left behind. Your family loves you dearly as do your friends.”
2. The runner was diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma 10 years before she died. Gabriele fought against her cancer while competing as a professional runner. While running at the national championships in 2017, Gabriele’s running shirt displayed one of her surgical scars on her stomach.
3. Gabriele ran at multiple national championships. She competed at the 2013, 2015, and 2017 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She also ran at the 2012 and 2016 United States Olympic Trials.
4. Her last post on social media was about an infection she had. Gabrielle shared a pic of her in a hospital bed on May 4 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, revealing that she had to skip out on a 5K due to an infection. “Cancer is nothing if not incredibly inconvenient and we need more options. I wish I didn’t have to show it in this way because there’s so many people I’d love to meet and catch up with tomorrow (including my grandma who I don’t see very often ❤️),” the runner said in her caption. “But I’m gonna be brave and fight these fevers and hopefully the procedure will help me out big time. 🙏 Prayers very much welcome.”
5. Gabriele was born on June 25, 1986. Her death came weeks away from her 33rd birthday. She attended the University of Minnesota, and began her professional running career while there as a student.