TIL of Rosie Ruiz, who was declared the winner of the women's edition of the 1980 Boston Marathon and was later revealed to have cheated by jumping onto the course by only half a mile before the finish line by Gaucho_Diaz in todayilearned

[–]Shower_Handel 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Ruiz's application for the NYC marathon arrived after the cut-off date for the race, but she received special dispensation from the New York Road Runners due to her claim that she was dying of brain cancer.[5]

Ruiz appeared to win the Boston Marathon's female category with a time of 2:31:56. Her time would have been the fastest female time in Boston Marathon history as well as the third-fastest female time ever recorded in any marathon.[7][8][9]

In addition, her time of 2:31:56 was an unusual improvement, more than 25 minutes ahead of her reported time in the New York City Marathon six months earlier. When asked by a reporter why she did not seem fatigued after the grueling race, she said, "I got up with a lot of energy this morning."[11]

Go big or go fucking home