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An elite Scottish ultra-marathon runner has been disqualified from a race for using a car for part of the course.
Joasia Zakrzewski she finished third in the 2023 GB Ultras race, a 50-mile (80.5-kilometre) race between the English cities of Manchester and Liverpool on April 7. But it is believed that she did about 4 kilometers in a vehicle.
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The 47-year-old athlete was tracked with GPS traveling 1,600 meters in just one minute and 40 seconds.
The matter was referred to the UK Athletics Federation.
Wayne Drinkwater, GB Ultras race director, said he received information after the ultramarathon that a runner had gained an “unsportsmanlike competitive advantage during a section of the event”.
“The issue has been investigated and after reviewing data from our race tracking system, GPS data, statements provided by our event team, other competitors and the entrant herself, we can confirm that a runner has now been disqualified. due to the fact that they took transportation vehicles during part of the journey,” he said.
Drinkwater added that a report of the disqualification had been sent to the Hill Climb Association, which provides the license for the event and is an associate member of British Athletics.
“Is very disappointing listen to this as Joasia has had such a successful period in recent years,” Scottish Athletics president David Ovens said.
“I hope that he can put this behind him, that there is an innocent explanation and that he can resume his successful career.”
“I made a huge mistake”
Interviewed by the BBC, Zakrzewski said her actions “were not done with malice” and that the incident was caused by a miscommunication.
The athlete argued that she got lost in the middle of the course when her leg began to hurt.
The pain became so intense, she said, that when she saw a friend at the side of the race she agreed to be driven to the next checkpoint to tell the stewards she was withdrawing from the race.
“When I got to the checkpoint I told them I was getting out and that I had been in the car, and they told me ‘you’ll hate yourself if you stop,'” Zakrzewski recounted.
“I agreed to continue non-competitively. (…) I made sure not to pass the runner in front when I saw her because I didn’t want to interfere with her race.”
When he crossed the line he was given a medal and a wooden trophy for third place, and posed for photos.
The runner acknowledged her mistake from Australia. “I made a big mistake in accepting the trophy and I should have returned it. (…) I was tired and jetlagged and I felt sick,” she said.
“I put my hands up, I should have put them down and not taken pictures, but I felt bad and distracted and I wasn’t thinking clearly,” she said.
Third place in the race was now awarded to Mel Sykes.
“I’m an idiot and I want to apologize to Mel. It wasn’t done meanly, it was a miscommunication,” Zakrzewski said.
“I would never cheat on purpose and this was not an objective race, but I don’t want to make excuses. (…) Mel didn’t get the glory at the end and I’m so sorry he didn’t.”
Zakrzewski said he was sorry he had not made it clear to the stewards at the end of the race that he was not racing.
The athlete said she was “devastated” by what had happened and extremely upset to see the “haters” on social media calling for a lifetime ban.
“I have given so much to the world of racing, so I am devastated by what has happened,” she said.
In 2020, at age 44, he won a 24-hour event in Australia.
He has set several records including the Scottish 24 hour record, the British 200k and the Scottish 100 mile record.
Source: Elcomercio
I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.
