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Marathon runner outed in bizarre 'cheating' scandal after using car

The Scottish runner has been branded a 'cheat' after being disqualified from the British ultra-marathon.

andrew reid
·4-min read
Scottish athlete Joasia Zakrzewski was disqualified from an ultra-marathon in Britain after travelling 4km in a car during the race. Pic: Facebook
Scottish athlete Joasia Zakrzewski was disqualified from an ultra-marathon in Britain after travelling 4km in a car during the race. Pic: Facebook

A Scottish runner has sparked uproar after being found guilty of travelling in a car for several kilometres, before finishing third in an English ultra-marathon. The race director of the GB Ultras Manchester to Liverpool 80km race said Scottish athlete Joasia Zakrzewski had been stripped of her medal after data showed she used a vehicle for part of the route.

Tracking technology indicated that Zakrzewski - who represented Scotland in the marathon at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow - used a car for a 4km stretch of the race, according to the BBC. Race director Wayne Drinkwater said he had received information that a runner had gained an "unsporting, competitive advantage during a section of the event".

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He told the BBC: "Having reviewed the data from our race tracking system, GPX data, statements provided from our event team, other competitors and from the participant herself, we can confirm that a runner has now been disqualified from the event having taken vehicle transport during part of the route." The 46-year-old was ultimately outed after reportedly covering one mile (1.6km) of the race in around 100 seconds - a feat that would require her running at staggering speeds of around 58km/h.

Zakrzewski admitted she did take a lift in a car but labelled the incident a "miscommunication" and said her intention was never to cheat. "When I got to the checkpoint I told them I was pulling out and that I had been in the car, and they said 'you will hate yourself if you stop'," Zakrzewski told the BBC.

Scottish runner Joasia Zakrzewski (L) was stripped of her bronze medal from the ultra-marathon. Pic: Facebook
Scottish runner Joasia Zakrzewski (L) was stripped of her bronze medal from the ultra-marathon. Pic: Facebook

"I agreed to carry on in a non-competitive way. I made a massive error accepting the trophy and should have handed it back. I was tired and jet-lagged and felt sick.

"It wasn't malicious, it was miscommunication. I would never purposefully cheat and this was not a target race, but I don't want to make excuses."

Scottish runner branded a 'cheat' on social media

Commentators on social media were not buying that excuse from Zakrzewski, however, with users on Twitter labelling it a "disgusting" act. The Scottish runner - who also happens to be a doctor - was roundly branded a "cheat" by irate users on social media.

A friend of Dr Zakrzewski defended the Scottish runner and revealed she had been sick after arriving from Australia the night before the race. “She has co-operated fully with the race organisers’ investigations, giving them a full account of what happened,” Adrian Stott said.

“She genuinely feels sorry for any upset caused.” Zakrzewski holds a number of long distance running records, including the Scottish 24-hour, British 200km and Scottish 100 mile records. Scottish Athletics chairman David Ovens backed the runner to move on from the ugly saga.

“It is very disappointing to hear this, given Joasia’s had such a successful period over the last few years,” he said. “I hope she can put this behind her and that there is an innocent explanation and she can resume her successful career.”

with agencies

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