Running 80 kilometers is a particularly difficult task, finishing such a race in third place is certainly a great honor, an honor that evaporates when you discover that part of the way you did not run but drove. And that's exactly what happened to ultramarathon runner Josia Zakrzewski of Scotland.
Zakrzewski competed in the GB Ultras race from Manchester to Liverpool in northwest England on 7 April, finishing a respectable third. But after the race, tracking data picked up irregularities in Zakrzewski's run. She also admitted to the BBC that it was a "mistake" and attributed it to fatigue and jet lag after landing from Australia the night before the competition. "I would never have done it on purpose and it wasn't a target competition for me, but I don't want to find excuses," she said.
In a letter to the UKA disciplinary committee, the Scottish athlete said: "I accept the punishment after the act where I did drive a car to complete the run, crossed the finish line and received the medal and trophy inappropriately. And I didn't return them right away as I should have done."
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According to the BBC, Zakrzewski explained that she got lost around half-race and her leg hurt, she was given a ride in a friend's car to the next point, where she was persuaded and agreed to run in an "uncompetitive way". But the letter did not impress the British Athletics Federation and Zakrzewski was suspended for 12 months.
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