Marathon runner tearfully denies cheating

Press, 23 April 1980, Page 42

Marathon runner tearfully denies cheating

NZPA-Reuter Boston • Massachuse Suspicion of a faked race arose yesterday after Rosie Kuiz, a Manhattan office worker, who claimed to have run in only one previous marathon, was declared the record-setting winner in the women’s division of the Boston Marathon.

The woman tearfully denied she cheated and said the suggestions upset her. “We have grave doubts right now, but we will do everything possible in the next week to check if there was a deception,” said Mr Will Cloney, director of the Boston Athletic Association Marathon. “When I crossed the fin-

ish line, I thought some women were ahead of me. I don’t know what the top runners look like,” Ms Ruiz said in an interview after she left the race area.

“These people are familiar with running. I just ran the best I could,” she said. ' Ms Ruiz attributed race officials’ scepticism to her short hair. She said that they may have mistaken her for a male runner.

Suspicions were first raised because no one had heard of Ms Ruiz and because of the her exceptionally, fast time, and Mr Cloney said he would investigate whether Ms Ruiz, aged 26, had run the entire race.

Mr Fred Lebow, presid-

ent of the New York Roadrunners’ Club, with a membership of 16,000, called Ms Ruiz “a phoney” and said she was not among the top six women at the 35km mark. He said she showed no physical evidence of running a marathon and she was unfamiliar with roadrunning terms.

Others at the interview said she did not know the meaning of a “split,” which is a set of kilometres used very commonly by distance runners in their training.

“I have been training hard since the beginning of this year. My boss is .a runner and -he said, > if you gg to .Bbston and wear' our T-shirt, we,’ll pay for your

trip,” Ms Ruiz said. Ms Ruiz said she ran 16 to 19km in her lunch hour around Central Park, on Fifth Avenue, or along the Hudson River. “I wanted to run Boston. I’m just happy I did it,” she said.

Ms Ruiz hit the finish line in 2 hours, 31 minutes and 54 seconds, nearly four minutes better than the record set by Maine’s Joan Benoit last year. New Zealand’s Kevin Ryan, meanwhile, finished in a creditable ninth place. Ryan’s time was two hours, 18 minutes, 49 seconds, less than seven minutes behind the winner, the home town hero and record holder, Bill Rodgers.

Rodgers charged in front at the half-way mark and kicked away from all challengers to easily win his fourth — and third straight — Boston marathon in an official time of 2:12.11.

Rogers narrowly escaped being trampled by two police horse.s within two kilometres from the finish. Officials said that the horses became unruly after being spooked by police sirens and the crowd.

The first mount brought Rodgers to a nearly complete stop. Then, when the other bolted in Rodgers’s direction, the runner veered, losing any chance at the course record he set last year.

Running the last 16 kms with only a state police motor cycle escort at his heels, Rodgers was in total command.

Mario Marchei, of Italy, came second, and Ron Tabb (U.S.), came in third. Leading finishers and officials times were: Bill Rodgers (U.S.), 2:12.11, 1. Marco Marchei, (Italy), 2: 13.20, 2; Ron Tabb, (U.S.), 2:14.48, 3; Michael Koussi, (Greece), 2:16.03, 4; Paul Friedman, (U.S.), 2:16.46, 5; Benji Durden (U.S.), 2:17. 46, 6; Jamie White (U.S.), 2:17.58, 7; Stephen Floto (U.S.), 2:18.19, 8; Kevin Ryan (N.Z.), 2:18.49, 9; Mike Pinoccl, (U.S.) 2:18. 52, 10.