sometimes she wins by a lot. >> tatyana mcfadden is absolutely flying down here. >> axelrod: others obamacare mcfadden is coming back! >> axelrod: however she does it, 24-year-old paraathlete tatyana mcfadden is on a literal roll no wheelchair racer has ever been on before. >> she's a superstar. she's a brilliant athlete. >> look being back at my y it's been an unbelievable year. >> axelrod: that may be an understatement. so far this year she's won the boston marathon. six days later, she won in london. three weeks ago she took chicago in course record time. and if she wins tomorrow, that would make it all four major marathons in the same year. no one else has ever won three. >> i want to be even better. i want to be even faster. i want to, you know, really push this sport. >> axelrod: this grand slam would be another boost for disabled sports, coming off record ticket sales and tv ratings for the 2012 paralympics in london. do you see a change in american culture about how paraathletes are viewed? >> they are finally understand, the sport. before, they used to say, "oh, you know, what do you

grand slam champion of them all was tatyana mcfadden. the first person to win chicago, london, boston, and now new york marathon, all in the same year. sandy canceled the marathon last year and was on many hearts and minds like brian lang's. his home burned to the ground. in breezy point, the new york community devastated by floods and then fire. >> everything we owned was destroyed and to sit today in central park and complete the new york city marathon is so overwhelming. >> reporter: new york has the largest marathon in the world and for many today, an enormous source of information. ron allen, nbc news, new york. >>> when "nbc nightly news" continues this sunday, the shopping wars. the unusual steps some malls are taking this holiday season as online competition heats up. >>> and later, maintaining the memory of jfk. the woman in charge of the eternal flame. [ male announcer ] coughequence #10. speechless.

. >> tatyana mcfadden is absolutely flying down here. >> reporter: others by a whisper. >> mcfadden coming does it, 24-year-old para-athlete tatyana mcfadden is on a literal roll that no wheelchair racer that no one has been on before. >> she's a superstar! >> looking back at my year, it's been an unbelievable year. >> reporter: that may be an understatement. so far this year, she won the boston marathon. six days later she won in london. three weeks ago, she took chicago in course record time. >> i want to be even better. i want to be even faster. i want to really push this sport. >> reporter: this grand slam would be another boost for disabled sports coming off record ticket sales and tv ratings for the 2012 paralympics in london. >> do you see a move for this? >> what do you do? i don't understand what you do? with the media coverage with social media like twitter and facebook and instagram, it's -- i mean, it balloons. >> i have the drive and i have the will. >> reporter: companies like bp and coke now featuring para-athletes in their ads banking on their inspirational stories which ag

her name is tatyana mcfadden.n grand slam by coming in first in the wheelchair division and three other marathons this year. as i found out, her success didn't come easy. at 24, tatyana mcfadden is no longer a stranger to adversity, taking on challenges most of her young adult life. born with spina bifida that paralyzed her from the waist down, unwanted by her mother, she was put into an orphanage that couldn't afford a wheel claire. >> i walked on my hands in the orphanage. no wheelchair. i just had a lot of hope. >> and this is not only an incredible personal achievement but a long journey in the making. mcfadden tweeting out after the race, i can't believe it. her nyc marathon win puts mcfadden in a category all to herself, becoming the first person to win a wheelchair grand slam in the same year, winning four marathons, boston, chicago, london and now new york. in fact, mcfadden in boston crossed the finish line just hours before the bombing. so after claiming her next victory in london, the paralympic athlete

. >>> and the tatyana mcfadden wins the new york city wheelchair marathon.an unprecedented grand slam. she also won titles this year in boston, chicago and london. she finished in 1:59:13. history-making, congratulations to her. >>> things got really hairy in germany over the weekend. some 300 men from 20 countries with all spectacular facial hair took part in the world's beard championships. trophies were given in competitive categories such as best dolly mustache. salvatore dali. best free style mustache. most fashionable beard. best goatee. best sunburn sideburns. i watched a special documentary on this, they eat special diets. >> where would you grow the best beard, mustache, beard? >> one hair here, one hair there. >> president obama welcomes the stanley cup winners. >> for the second time in four years the chicago blackhawks will be honored. on this date, the iran hostage crisis as reported by "nightly news." >> the guard was tear gassed by students. but that wasn't enough. hundreds of iranians finally overran the embassy compound. seizings about 90 pe

morning all wrapped in the orange jackets they got after the race and a really inspiring moment as tatyana mcfaddens in a calendar year. she won four marathons. the boston marathon in april crossing the line hours before the bombs detonated. a week later the london marathon and then her third straight chicago marathon and yesterday wins new york. >> next she'll be competing in the paraolympics in sochi. she was born in st. petersburg so she gets to go back to her bir birth place. >> i used to love going and watching at the finish line. you can't help but be inspired. whether you're a runner or not you feel like you can conquer the world. 100-year-old runners crossing the finish line. >> this young lady today, joan johnston, she is 86 years old. she has run 25 new york marathons. she has done others as well and she fell but she is quite the lady. >> she showed up this morning. there you go. >> you guys have both done it. i've never be done the marathon. >> next year. >> train together? >> i'll train with you? >> next year. >> i'll help you. >> natalie will help me out with that. >> i'll help you. >>