Gabriele Grunewald ran the last two laps alone, the rest of the field pulling away from her.
Applause grew, however, and she managed a wave to the Sacramento crowd before crossing the finish line at the USATF Outdoor Championships (Summer Champions Series) 1500m first round on Thursday night.
Grunewald then kneeled to the track, but she wasn’t alone for long. The rest of the nine-woman heat came up to her to form a circle. They prayed.
Grunewald called it “a little moment of solidarity” after a whirlwind, difficult year.
She raced at USATF Outdoors in between chemotherapy treatments, battling cancer for the fourth time since 2009.