EUGENE, Ore. — Gabriele Grunewald stepped onto the track as the dying light of day yielded to periwinkle evening.
She and her fellow world-class runners walked single file, hair tied in ponytails, to the starting line at the annual Prefontaine Classic, one of track’s premier events. The women were a lithe pack, and it was difficult to pick out Grunewald. I identified her by the purple half-moon scar that stretches across her abdomen.
The runners toed the starting line, the crowd fell silent, a gun sounded and they were off.
Grunewald is not the world’s fastest 1,500-meter runner, although she is competitive and fierce down the stretch.