Canadian Jacqueline Gareau forgives Rosie Ruiz for cheating her at the Boston Marathon

Marathon runner Jacqueline Gareau takes a run on a sunny day. Jacqueline Gareau

Jacqueline Gareau is a Canadian runner who won the Boston Marathon on April 21, 1980. Gareau led the women’s field for most of the race, only to find another runner, Rosie Ruiz, wearing the winner’s traditional laurels when she crossed the finish line

It should be noted that Ruiz was later disqualified after it was determined that he had not run the entire race, and Gareau received the victory in a special ceremony a week later. His official time for the 1980 marathon, 2:34:28, was the fastest time recorded for a woman in the history of the event at that time.

Gareau met Ruiz two years after the marathon while preparing to run a 10km race in Miami, Florida. The meeting was brief and Ruiz refused (as he continued until his death) to recognize that she did not win the 1980 marathon.

A pardon that “was not a big deal”

It was April 21, 1980, and Jacqueline Gareau seemed prepared to become the first and only Canadian woman to win the Boston marathon. Gareau did not get his moment of glory and is that his competing partner Rosie Ruiz usurped at the last moment, exceeding his time in more than two minutes. Ruiz, not Gareau, had to break the tape and put on the laurels.

Rosie Ruiz, who ‘won’ the Boston Marathon but skipped most of the race, was not trying to win

In fact, it has been said that in reality, as witness testimony and video evidence revealed later, Ruiz didn’t come out of nowhere. She left the crowd of spectators. She had skipped a large part of the race since he had traveled most of the distance by subway. She was stripped of her title, leaving Gareau, belatedly as the winner.

Ruiz, died this week at 66 and always maintained his innocence.

Gareau, who is now 66, was contacted to discuss how her life was affected by the woman who for a long time was painted as her nemesis.

Thus, Gareau expressed, “I felt some sadness. It’s sad, the way it happened for her — I’m sure it affects you, when you do something like that. She never admitted it. Maybe it would have been better if she had. But maybe she believes that she really did (run the whole marathon). ”

Likewise, Gareau said that she completely forgive Ruiz and that in fact, it was not a big deal for her.

Source: Genna Buck | National Post