Gabriele Grunewald in Sacramento, Calif., on June 21, 2017. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Professional long-distance runner Gabriele “Gabe” Grunewald has passed away. She was 32.
Grunewald’s husband announced on the evening of June 11 that Grunewald had lost her decade-long battle with cancer.
“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 wife. @gigrunewald,” Justin Grunewald wrote in an Instagram post.
“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,” he continued.
He also thanked their friend and HGTV star Chip Gaines, who matched any donations made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and Gabe’s foundation, Brave Like Gabe, earlier that day.
In 2009, Gabriele Grunewald, a former track and cross-country athlete for the University of Minnesota, was diagnosed with a rare salivary gland cancer called adenoid cystic carcinoma, according to her website.
Despite four bouts with cancer, Grunewald continued running amid surgeries and treatments. In 2012 she almost qualified for the U.S. Olympic team, placing fourth in the USA Olympic Trials, just narrowly missing the cut-off, according to her website. In 2014, she was the United States indoor champion in the 3,000-meter.
Over the last couple of days, Grunewald’s husband kept followers updated about his wife’s condition.
On Sunday, June 9, he posted on Instagram that her condition had worsened after being rushed to the ICU because of septic shock.
“It breaks my heart to say but overnight Gabriele’s status worsened with worsening liver function causing confusion. Wanting to do her no harm we have made the difficult decision to move her to comfort cares this afternoon,” he wrote on Instagram.
The next day, he shared that she was resting at home, from the comfort of the couch. He added that she was “resting peacefully and breathing easy surrounded by her best friends and family.”
In Tuesday’s post, her husband thanked everyone for their kind messages.
“To everyone else from all ends of the earth, Gabriele heard your messages and was so deeply moved. She wants you to stay brave and keep all the hope in the world. Thanks for helping keep her brave in her time of need,” he concluded his post.
“Gabe, your light will forever guide us,” Grunewald’s longtime sponsor, Brooks Running, wrote in a post on Instagram following the news of her passing.