On This Day: Rosie Ruiz Fakes Boston Marathon Victory

Ruiz apparently achieved a record time of 2:31, but had not been seen on the course until she jumped in at the end, The Boston Globe reported a few days after the race.

Suspicions arose early, when observers noticed that Ruiz didn’t look fatigued and wasn’t sweating as she crossed the finish line. Ruiz also couldn’t recall the details of her route.

Reports surfaced that previously, Ruiz had cheated when she finished the New York City Marathon despite failing to appear in any race videos. A photographer also said he had spoken with her on the subway.

It is believed that Ruiz also rode the subway on the way to the finish line at the Boston Marathon. She would later be disqualified from both races.

Ruiz’s antics stole attention from the real winner of the women’s race, Jacqueline Gareau of Canada; Gareau was eventually awarded her medal two weeks after the race.

To this day, Ruiz denies cheating, and officials have yet to conclusively prove her guilt.

Ruiz received five years’ probation in 1982 for committing grand larceny and forgery while working at a real estate firm, and was later arrested for trying to sell cocaine to undercover agents in Miami, earning her 23 days in jail.

Because of her stunt’s comedy value and the attention she drew to running, Adrian Wojnarowski writes in ESPN, “Rosie Ruiz is still one of the best things to ever happen to the Boston Marathon.”

U.S. Olympic Team Manager John Graham instituted the Boston Marathon after being “inspired” by the Olympic marathon. On April 19, 1897, John J. McDermott of New York won the first Boston Marathon in a 15-member starting field.

Cheating in sports

Running your own marathon