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Joasia Zakrzewski\u00a0has blamed an injury and jetlag for her decision to travel in a car for 2.5 miles of the Manchester to Liverpool 50-mile race earlier this month.<\/p>\n
Her actions have been widely criticised but in her only interview since the incident the 47-year-old Scottish runner told BBC Scotland that her behaviour had not been malicious and that she had only got in a friend\u2019s car because she was injured and wanted to let organisers know she wanted to pull out.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I got to the checkpoint I told them I was pulling out and that I had been in the car and they said \u2018you will hate yourself if you stop\u2019,\u201d Zakrzewski said. \u201cI agreed to carry on in a non-competitive way. I made sure I didn\u2019t overtake the runner in front when I saw her as I didn\u2019t want to interfere with her race.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zakrzewski, who recently set a short-lived world record for 48 hours,<\/a> admitted she was wrong to pose for photos and to accept a trophy and medal after the race.<\/p>\n She claims that come back from Australia the night before left her jet-lagged and unable to think properly. \u201cI made a massive error accepting the trophy and should have handed it back,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cI was tired and jet-lagged 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Third place in the race has subsequently been awarded to Mel Sykes. \u201cI\u2019m an idiot and want to apologise to Mel,\u201d added Zakrzewski. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t malicious, it was miscommunication. I would never purposefully cheat. I\u2019ve given so much to the running world so I am devastated this has happened.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00bb <\/b>Subscribe to AW magazine here<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n