Sports Scandals by Peter Finley Laura Finley & Jeffrey J. Fountain

Author:Peter Finley, Laura Finley & Jeffrey J. Fountain [Finley, Peter Finley, Laura & Fountain, Jeffrey J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Done, Non Fiction, Sports
Published: 2011-06-07T12:10:00+00:00

ROSIE RUIZ NEARLY STEALS 1980 BOSTON MARATHON

Sometimes long shots do win races. Perhaps even a major marathon, from time to time. But when twenty-seven-year-old office worker Rosie Ruiz broke the tape at the 1980 Boston Marathon, it appeared to be a result for the ages.

She was a complete unknown in marathon running, and her victory would be among the most stunning in sports history. But within days it was revealed to be one of sport's greatest hoaxes. Ruiz had apparently covered the 26.2 mile course in the third fastest time ever by a woman in any marathon, 2 hours, 31 minutes, and 56 seconds. She had broken the Boston Marathon record and beaten 448 other female entrants. And apparently she had hardly broken a sweat. She calmly mounted the victors' platform, alongside men's winner Bill Rodgers, and accepted the medal and laurel wreath. Then, the questioning began.

Immediately there were spectators, competitors, and journalists who were suspicious. She wasn't sweaty or salty enough. She wasn't lean enough. Her running stride was not efficient enough. Her name and race number did not appear on the lists of leaders that were meticulously written down through the first twenty-four miles. And, perhaps most importantly in the moments after the race, she didn't speak the language of the sport. Post-race interviews revealed that she didn't understand common terms used by runners to define simple training principles. She didn't know what intervals or split times were, which shocked the journalist asking about her training program.

Canadian Jacqueline Gareau was the second woman across the line that day, over ten minutes behind Ruiz. She believed she was the winner when she arrived at the finish. She was followed by her rival, American Patti Lyons. It was Lyons who first voiced doubts: ''I never saw [Ruiz]. Do I doubt that she was the winner? I doubt it very much.''13 Further, Lyons added, ''Her name wasn't familiar. I never heard of her. I heard I was second all the way. I never saw her at the starting line and we all started together.''14 Bill Rodgers, who won his fourth Boston marathon that day, sadly lost some of his well-deserved attention as the scandal dominated headlines in the following days. His position was immediate and emphatic: ''The second I saw her I was skeptical. I know a top runner when I see one.''15

By the following day, there was blood in the water and the sharks were circling. The race officials could not find any sign that Ruiz had run the race.

She didn't appear on the tapes made of the leaders (none of whom remembered seeing her on the course), and eyewitnesses claimed they saw her jump into the race no more than two miles from the finish. Race director Will Cloney was convinced she had cheated. At one point he asked Ruiz, ''Should we decide to change the order of finish, would you give the medal back?'' She responded, ''Would you ask one of your daughters that?'' His curt retort was, ''No, I wouldn't have to ask one of my daughters that.

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