A runner has been disqualified from an ultra-marathon for allegedly hitching a car ride for two-and-a-half miles of the journey.
Joasia Zakrzewski, 47, finished third in this month's GB Ultras race but has been stripped of the bronze medal after a bizarre accusation. It's claimed the runner, who works as a general practitioner, was unwell after flying from Australia the night before.
Zakrzewski was caught out after her tracker registered a top speed of 35mph. For context, Usain Bolt's record speed was 28mph. The runner is now facing calls to be banned from the sport, with Scottish Athletics confirming they are "aware of the issue".
Zakrzewski was competing in the 2023 GB Ultras Manchester to Liverpool 50-mile race on Good Friday when she allegedly broke the rules. The race started at 6am, with nearly 400 runners taking part. Some amateurs took almost 13 hours to finish the race.
The accused runner finished the race with a time of seven hours and 25 minutes before posing with her bronze medal. It's believed she covered a mile of the race in just one minute and 40 seconds, and she gained as much as 25 minutes by allegedly cheating.
NHS podiatrist Mel Sykes has now claimed the bronze medal and labelled Zakrzewski a "cheat". Sykes added: "Great news for me - but really bad news for sportsmanship."
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The director of the GB Ultras race Wayne Drinkwater has told the BBC the accusation is "very disappointing". Drinkwater added: "The issue has been investigated and, having reviewed the data from our race tracking system, GPX data, statements provided from our event team, other competitors and from the participant herself, we can confirm that a runner has now been disqualified from the event having taken vehicle transport during part of the route.
"The matter is now with the TRA (Trail Running Association) and, in turn, UK Athletics (UKA) as the regulatory bodies."
Zakrzewski boasts a fine running CV. She broke the world record for the most miles run by a woman in 48 hours earlier this year. She also represented Scotland in the marathon at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, finishing 14th with a time of 2:45:29.
Adrian Stott, a friend of the runner, has revealed Zakrzewski is "genuinely sorry" for the incident. Zakrzewski is yet to comment on the matter.
Speaking to the BBC, Stott said: "The race didn’t go to plan. She said she was feeling sick and tired on the race and wanted to drop out,” he said. "She has co-operated fully with the race organisers’ investigations, giving them a full account of what happened. She genuinely feels sorry for any upset caused."
Scottish Athletics chair David Ovens added: "It is very disappointing to hear this, given Joasia's had such a successful period over the last few years. I hope she can put this behind her and that there is an innocent explanation and she can resume her successful career."
