Ivy Granstrom (September 28, 1911 – April 14, 2004) was a blind Canadian Masters athlete. She is the current

world record holder In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

for the W85

3000 metres The 3000 metres or 3000-metre run is a track running event, also commonly known as the "3K" or "3K run", where 7.5 laps are run around an outdoor 400 m track, or 15 laps around a 200 m indoor track. It is debated whether the 3000m shoul ...

and

10000 metres 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

. The accommodation to allow her to be guided through her open competitions set the rules for such competitions where she ran tethered to a guide, Paul Hoeberigs, but it was clear she was exerting the effort (as opposed to a dog being pulled by their leash). With failing eyesight since childhood, she hid her failing eyesight and trained as a nursing aid with the

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

until her condition was discovered. She had worked since age 12 cooking for miners in

Fernie, British Columbia Fernie is a city in the Elk Valley area of the East Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia, Canada, located on BC Highway 3 on the western approaches to the Crowsnest Pass through the Rocky Mountains. Founded in 1898 and incorpora ...

. At age 60 she experienced a serious back injury in a car accident. He doctors told her to expect to be in a wheelchair the rest of her life, to which she muttered an expletive. She took up walking,

jogging Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase physical fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running but more than walking, or to maintain a steady speed for longer periods ...

and advanced to competition for the blind. She started masters competition at age 68. But she had always been athletic. She participated in the English Bay

Polar bear plunge A polar bear plunge is an event held during the winter where participants enter a body of water despite the low temperature. In the United States, polar bear plunges are usually held to raise money for a charitable organization. In Canada, po ...

for 76 years and was known as "Queen of the Polar Bear Swims." She won numerous medals at the Masters Athletics World Championships and

World Masters Games The World Masters Games is an international multi-sport event held every four years which, in terms of competitor numbers, has developed into the largest of its kind. Governed by the International Masters Games Association (IMGA), the World Mast ...

. In addition to her world records, many other records continue as Canadian masters records. She was the

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

athlete of the year in 1982. She was a 2001 inductee into the

Terry Fox Hall of Fame The Canadian Disability Hall of Fame (formerly the Terry Fox Hall of Fame), recognizes "outstanding Canadians who have made extraordinary contributions to enriching the quality of life for people with physical disabilities". It is run by the Canadia ...

a 1988 appointee to the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

, is a member of the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame, the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame, and the Canadian Masters Athletics Hall of Fame.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Granstrom, Ivy 1911 births 2004 deaths Canadian blind people Canadian disabled sportspeople Canadian masters athletes Members of the Order of Canada Visually impaired long-distance runners World record holders in masters athletics Canadian Disability Hall of Fame