Jonathan Mendelsohn
Scottish ultra-marathon runner Joasia Zakrzewski has been disqualified from a race after accepting the third-place trophy for the GB Ultras Manchester to Liverpool 50-mile race. The reason for her disqualification was the fact that she actually was a passenger in a car for part of the race.
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After feeling sore, Zakrzewski decided to take a ride from a friend who she saw on the side of the road while on her route. Zakrzewski claims that she didn’t want to continue in the race after being in a car, but she was encouraged by race officials to do so.
Runner Who Came in Third Place in Race Was in a Car
Zakrzewski said, “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. I agreed to carry on in a non-competitive way. I made sure I didn’t overtake the runner in front when I saw her as I didn’t want to interfere with her race.”
Zakrzewski claims that it was a mistake that she accepted the third-place trophy, and believes she never should have been awarded it. She continued, “I made a massive error in accepting the trophy and should have handed it back. I was tired and jetlagged and felt sick. I hold my hands up, I should have handed them back and not had pictures done but I was feeling unwell and spaced out and not thinking clearly.”
Despite her claims of regret, race officials are not so pleased with Zakrzewski’s decision to accept the trophy. GB Ultras Race Director Wayne Drinkwater said, “After the event, there was no attempt by Joasia to make us aware of what had happened and to give us an opportunity to correct the results or return the third-place trophy during the course of the subsequent seven days.” After Zakrzewski’s third-place status was revoked, Mel Sykes was awarded the trophy.
