Scottish runner banned for a year for using vehicle in ultra-marathon

16 November 2023 - 08:45 By Reuters
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The 47-year-old was stripped of her third place. File picture
The 47-year-old was stripped of her third place. File picture
Image: 123RF/Yeko

Long distance runner Joasia Zakrzewski was banned for 12 months by a UK athletics disciplinary body on Wednesday for riding a car during an 80km race in April and accepting third place.

Data from the tracking system at the GB Ultras Manchester to Liverpool showed Zakrzewski, who represented Scotland in the marathon at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, used a car for a 4km stretch of the race.

The 47-year-old, who was stripped of her third place, claimed she had informed race officials about having been in a car and finished the race “in a noncompetitive way”.

The Independent Disciplinary Panel of UK Athletics disagreed with her in their verdict.

“The claimant had collected the trophy at the end of the race, something which she should have not done if she was completing the race on a noncompetitive basis,” they said.

“She also did not seek to return the trophy in the week following the race.”


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