Ultramarathon Runner Used a Car to Win the Race

We all have cheated on tests when we were younger. Whether once or more frequently, we did it so that our grades wouldn’t fall too far behind. But, what happens if you decide to cheat on something bigger? And no, we are not talking about relationships (don’t do that in any scenario whatsoever!) This woman found out the hard way. An ultramarathon runner actually used a car to win the race. But, how did she get caught?

What Happened?

Joasia Zakrzewski, a prominent British ultra-runner, has been handed a 12-month ban by UK Athletics. She confessed to using a car during part of the GB Ultras Liverpool to Manchester 50-mile Ultra-marathon. Despite her previous successes in ultra races, including a win in the 215-mile Ultra Great Britain 2021, Zakrzewski is now barred from participating in UK events for a year and representing Great Britain abroad.

Ultramarathon Runner Used a Car to Finish Race

Joasia Zakrzewski, currently residing in Australia, traveled to the UK for the April Liverpool-Manchester race. During the race, around the 25-mile mark, she accepted a lift in a friend’s car, claiming to have gotten lost and sustained an injury.

After accepting a lift from her friend for two and a half miles during the Liverpool-Manchester race, Joasia Zakrzewski claimed she informed officials at the next checkpoint that she had withdrawn from the official race. However, she asserts that she was encouraged to continue non-competitively. Despite her intention not to interfere with other runners, she eventually reached the finish line as the third woman to complete the race. Zakrzewski accepted a medal and trophy for her finish.

The Ultramarathon Runner Even Accepted an Award

Joasia Zakrzewski’s decision to accept the honors and her subsequent failure to address the issue compounded her mistake, becoming significant factors in her eventual ban from UK Athletics. The problem resurfaced days after the Liverpool-Manchester race when GPS tracking data highlighted irregularities in her participation. Zakrzewski admitted to a “massive error” in accepting the trophy and acknowledged that she should have returned it.

She explained that she was tired, jetlagged, and feeling unwell at the time, which affected her clarity of thought. Despite recognizing her lapse in judgment, she failed to promptly rectify the situation by raising the issue, contributing to the consequences she now faces.

The Ban for the Ultramarathon Runner Who Used a Car to Win

Joasia Zakrzewski was disqualified from the race, and Mel Sykes was awarded third place after race director Wayne Drinkwater determined that Zakrzewski gained an “unsporting, competitive advantage” during a portion of the event. UK Athletics imposed a punishment on Zakrzewski, citing her failure to disclose the incident to avoid embarrassment. The Independent Disciplinary Panel highlighted her inappropriate collection of the trophy, emphasizing that even if she was suffering from “brain fog” on race day, she had a week to rectify her actions, which she did not. Additionally, her social media posts about the race did not reveal that she had completed it on a non-competitive basis.

What would you have done in her shoes? Do you think you would have been able to accept the award?

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