Grunewald had impact beyond her 32 years

In an industry like this one, rooting and taking sides is actively discouraged. Gabe Grunewald was a major exception.

Virtually everyone who crossed paths with Grunewald was touched in some way by her grace, optimism and perseverance in the face of a rare cancer diagnosis in 2009. And any obstacle she faced along the way — whether as an elite distance runner or a human being battling an awful disease — made you pull for her.

Those sentiments have been flowing along with tears in recent days, with news of Grunewald's grave health and eventually her death Tuesday night at age 32.

We traded a handful of social media messages through the years. If I could pass along one more message, it would be this: Gabe, you taught us all a lot about life — and you continued teaching us in death. You packed the impact of 1,000 years into 32, which is all anyone can aspire to in a lifetime.