Scottish ultra runner apologises and insists her actions were not malicious

Joasia Zakrzewski has 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.

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’s car because she was injured and wanted to let organisers know she wanted to pull out.

“When I got to the checkpoint I told them I was pulling out and that I had been in the car and they said ‘you will hate yourself if you stop’,” Zakrzewski said. “I agreed to carry on in a non-competitive way. I made sure I didn’t overtake the runner in front when I saw her as I didn’t want to interfere with her race.”

Zakrzewski, who recently set a short-lived world record for 48 hours, admitted she was wrong to pose for photos and to accept a trophy and medal after the race.

She claims that come back from Australia the night before left her jet-lagged and unable to think properly. “I made a massive error accepting the trophy and should have handed it back,” she said.

“I 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.”