Confusion in super running. Joasia Zakrzewski, a 47-year-old Scottish athlete, was banned for a year after getting into a car while racing. Zakrozeski even finished the race in question in third place, but she didn’t hold back when she received her award.
The accident occurred on April 7 this year during the GB Ultras race from Manchester to Liverpool. The runners had to cover a distance of 50 miles – just over 80 kilometres. Joasia Zakrzewski, a famous name in the sport, finished the race in third place.
Not special in itself, because Zakrzewski is the world record holder for the 48-hour distance, covering 411.5 kilometres. However, Zakrzewski fooled everyone that day. The Scot took a friend’s car between two points on the road, which is of course prohibited. According to the evidence, Zakrzewski was in the car for four kilometers, and other data showed that she covered one of those kilometers in just one minute and forty seconds. Which, of course, raised serious eyebrows.
I drove by car and then finished the race. I was not entitled to a medal or trophy, and I should have returned it immediately
Consoling Zakrzewski
Zakrozeski had initially told race officials that she was thinking of giving up and therefore “might as well get in the car.” She took the elevator, but she didn’t give up at all. After the lift, Zakrzewski continued her journey and eventually reached the finish line in third place. As a result, she also received a bronze medal and a trophy and was allowed to stand on the podium. This is a procedure that Zakrzewski is now ashamed of. “I am aware of my stupid actions that day. I drove off and then finished the race. I had no right to a medal or a trophy, and I should have Return it immediately.”
However, in her letter, Zakrzewski also tried to present some mitigating circumstances to the committee. For example, she claimed that she had returned from Australia the night before and therefore “couldn’t think very clearly anymore.” According to her, this could have been the basis for accepting the promotion and the Medal of Honor after the match.
The commission said in its decision that it took into account Zakrzewski’s mental state during the race, but that it had “sufficient opportunities to address the final situation, which it failed to do.” She could also have delivered the trophy a week later, but also failed to do so. “I even posted it on social media,” the committee said.
Zakrzewski was removed from the final results and the committee also imposed an effective one-year ban on her. Therefore, the Scot is not allowed to participate in UK athletics competitions for a period of twelve months, and a training ban has been imposed on her for the same period.
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