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After finishing third in her previous three United Airlines NYC Half appearances, Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal made history in 2024 by becoming the first woman from Norway to win the race. 

A four-time Olympian, Bjerkeli Grøvdal has represented Norway at the last four Olympics, with her highest finish coming at the Rio 2016 Olympics, where she placed seventh in the 5,000 meters. Last summer at the Paris 2024 Olympics she finished eighth in the 5,000 meters.

Just before Paris, she added two more medals to her European Championships collection, taking gold in the half-marathon and second in the 5,000 meters. Bjerkeli Grøvdal has previously won European bronze medals in the steeplechase in 2018 and 10,000 meters in 2016, in addition to three golds in the European Cross Country Championships.

Bjerkeli Grøvdal grew up as both a competitive runner and cross-country skier, choosing to focus on the former by the time she reached her teenage years. She has often been hailed in the Norwegian press as the next Grete Waitz, the Norwegian marathon runner and former world-record holder who won nine New York City Marathons.