However, Joasia Zakrzewski added that she regretted by not clarifying with the marshals during the end of the competition that she was not running competitively.
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The third place finish of the Scottish runner, Joasia Zakrzewski, in an ultramarathon was voided after it was determined that she had used a vehicle for a portion of the race. On April 7, Joasia Zakrzewski took part in the GB Ultras Manchester to Liverpool 80km event. She previously competed for Scotland in the marathon at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. However, data from the tracking system revealed that Zakrzewski used a car during a 4km portion of the race.
The race director, Wayne Drinkwater, got the information that a runner had gained an “unsporting, competitive advantage during a section of the event”. He stated that Zakrzewski was excluded from the competition after looking over the data from the race tracking system because she had used car transport for a portion of the course. Drinkwater stated that a report had been produced to the Trail Running Association, which provides the event’s license and is an associate member of UK Athletics.
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In response to the incident, Joasia Zakrzewski said that her actions were ‘not malicious’ and that a misunderstanding was to be blamed. According to the BBC, the runner from Dumfries claimed that she got lost on the track at about the halfway point when her leg became uncomfortable and she began to limp. When she encountered a friend on the side of the track, she accepted a lift in his car to the next checkpoint to inform marshals that she was withdrawing from the race.
According to Zakrzewski, she informed the checkpoint personnel that she had been in the car and that she was about to pull out. They [the marshals] said, “You will hate yourself if you stop.” Zakrzewski added, “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 posed for photos after crossing the finish line, receiving a medal and a wooden trophy for third place. However, Joasia Zakrzewski added that she regretted by not clarifying with the marshals during the end of the competition that she was not running competitively. She acknowledged her regret and apologized to Mel Sykes, who received third place in the race after Zakrzewski got disqualified. Zakrzewski acknowledged that it was not malicious, but miscommunication, adding, “I would never purposely 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.”
Zakrzewski is a popular runner who has won various awards throughout her career. She established a world record by running 255 miles (411.5 km) in the 48-hour event in the Taipei Ultramarathon in Taiwan in February. She earned individual silver at the 2011 IAU World 100km Championships and bronze in 2014 and 2015. At the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014, Zakrzewski competed for Team Scotland in the marathon. In 2020, she won a 24-hour race in Australia after covering a distance of 236.561 kilometers. She has broken numerous records, including the British 200k, the Scottish 100 mile, and the Scottish 24-hour records.
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