Who is Joasia Zakrzewski and why has she been disqualified?

DISTANCE runner Joasia Zakrzewski is facing calls to be banned after it was found she was assisted by a vehicle during a race in April 2023.

Here, we look at the circumstances behind her actions, and what she has said on the matter.

Who is Joasia Zakrzewski?

Joasia Zakrzewski is a GP from Dumfries, Scotland, born on February 28, 1976.

She studied medicine at the University of Glasgow, and qualified as a general practitioner in 2002.

Joasia competes as an ultramarathon runner, and is ranked as one of the top competitors in the UK.

An ultramarathon is a long distance running event that exceeds the 26 miles, 385 yard distance of a normal marathon.

Joasia holds a number of records in the event, including the Scottish 24 hour record, the Scottish 100 mile record and the British 200k record.

Why has Joasia Zakrzewski been disqualified?

Zakrzewski competed in the 2023 GB Ultras Manchester to Liverpool 50-mile race on April 7, 2023.

 She was disqualified after it was found that she travelled part of the race by car.

GPX mapping data showed that she had travelled a mile in just one minute and 40 seconds.

She is thought to have travelled in the vehicle for two and a half miles.

Her running partner Adrian Scott said she was sorry for what had happened.

Scott told the BBC: “The race didn’t go to plan.

“She said she was feeling sick and tired in the race and wanted to drop out.

“She has cooperated fully with the race organisers’ investigations, giving them a full account of what happened.”

What has Joasia Zakrzewski said about the disqualification?

Zakrzewski told the BBC on April 19, 2023, that she was extremely sorry for what she had done.

She said: “When I got to the checkpoint I told them I was pulling out and that I had been in the car, and they said ‘you will hate yourself if you stop’.

“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.”

At the end of the race she was given a third place medal and a trophy, and posed for pictures with other competitors.

Zakrzewski admitted that this was wrong, saying: “I made a massive error accepting the trophy and should have handed it back.

“I was tired and jetlagged and felt sick.

“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.”

Third place was eventually awarded to English runner Mel Sykes, who voiced her displeasure at Zarzewski’s actions on Twitter.

Which marathons did Joasia win?

Zakrzewski has had a long and distinguished career in distance running.

In February 2022, Zakrzewski won the Taipei Ultramarathon in Taiwan, setting a world record across 255 miles in the 48 hour long event.

She won a 24 hour event in Australia that was over 236km at the age of 44.

She represented Scotland in the 2014 Commonwealth Games, held in Glasgow, finishing 14th in the marathon.

Source: Athletics - thesun.co.uk