Marathon runner banned for using car in race

The ultra-marathon runner who used a car to finish a race has been banned by UK athletics for a year.

Joasia Zakrzewski was suspended after she accepted a medal for placing third in the 2023 GB Ultras Manchester to Liverpool 80km race.

However, officials got access to tracking information, which showed she travelled by car for about 4km before continuing the race.

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Zakrzewski claimed she told officials she used a car and finished the race "in a non-competitive way".

"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 non-competitive basis," said an independent disciplinary panel.

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

"Even if she was suffering from brain fog on the day of the race, she had a week following the race to realise her actions and return the trophy, which she did not do.

"Finally, she posted about the race on social media, and this did not disclose that she had completed the race on a non-competitive basis."

Dr Zakrzewski, a 47-year-old GP who now lives near Sydney, said she made a "massive error" by accepting a medal and a trophy at the end of the race.

"I hold my hands up, I should have handed them back and not had pictures done, but I was feeling unwell and spaced out and not thinking clearly," she said.