Ultramarathoner Says She's an 'Idiot' After Being Disqualified for Using a Car

Scottish runner Joasia Zakrzewski was found to have traveled 2.5 miles of the race by car

Scottish runner Joasia Zakrzewski has apologized after a "miscommunication" disqualified her from an ultramarathon.

Zakrzewski, 47, was initially recorded as the third-place winner during the 2023 GB Ultras Manchester to Liverpool 50-mile race.

However, she was disqualified for apparently using a vehicle during a portion of the marathon, according to the BBC.

Following an investigation, the marathon officials determined that Zakrsewski traveled more than two miles in a car. Speaking to the BBC, the runner said she had accepted a ride from a friend on the road after her leg began to hurt, originally intending to tell officials she was discontinuing the race.

Zakrzewski explained, "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.' "

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She told the BBC she had agreed to "carry on in a non-competitive way" and wanted to "make sure" not to "overtake the runner in front" of her.

However, Zakrzewski accepted a medal and posed for photos after crossing the finish line, which she called "a massive error" because she felt "tired and jetlagged" after the race. "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," she added when speaking to the BBC.

The race director, Wayne Drinkwater, said Zakrzewski made "no attempt" to make the race organizers "aware of what happened" which would have allowed the event to "correct the results" of the race.

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Drinkwater continued, "At the finish location, Joasia crossed the finish line timing mat, received her finisher medal and was presented with her trophy. At no point at the finish were the event team informed by Joasia that she was 'not running the race competitively.' "

"None of our event team in question, with written statements to confirm this, were aware that Joasia had vehicle transport at any time during the race until we received information after the race from another competitor."

Drinkwater said if he and his team had been made aware of the situation during the race, "disqualification from the race would have been immediate at that point."

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The revised third place runner is now listed as Mel Sykes, whom Zakrzewski has since apologized to for the mistake. "I'm an idiot and want to apologize to Mel. It wasn't malicious, it was miscommunication."

She added, "I would never purposefully cheat and this was not a target race, but I don't want to make excuses. Mel didn't get the glory at the finish and I'm really sorry she didn't get that."

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In the aftermath, Zakrzewski said she is "devastated this has happened" because she's "given so much to the running world" and hopes to race again, despite a number of social media users calling for her lifetime ban.

Sykes explained how the error was discovered in a response on social media. "Too many people noticed things were amiss and contacted the race organisers separately so they had to launch an investigation," she wrote. "Strava data mainly, hadn't taken the race route (followed the main road) and also a section where HR/cadence/speed didn't add up," Sykes explained.

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