That's a great point Christopher - often it's the unusual or the more 'out of the ordinary' aspects after years of an event that are more widely remembered. Excellent surname by the way. Harry
@@thisisjogon Thanks Harry. I was in Boston at the time but didn't care for the Marathon and fanatic jogging craze then at its peak, esp with "preppies" which Boston is full of. Mor is a phoneme for the sea, gan for les gens, "people", Celts, the "people by the sea", we somewhere have Welsh ancestry. Wales is a wonderful place to visit, by the way. I was welcomed home by so many folks!
I've always been a little fascinated about this story. I'm a little surprised she never came clean. I learned as a child that lying is SO exhausting. She could never pull that off today.
As an amateur marathon runner myself, the idea of cheating like this makes me angry beyond measure. The best part of finishing a marathon is not the congratulations, but the knowledge that you did it, that you actually ran 26.2 miles. I can't imagine cheating and lying about it like this, the whole time knowing you didn't do it
Indeed. I ran two in a very slow time at 18 and 19, and I haven't run one since because of how out of shape I was leading up to the second (you could choose at the race for the latter if you wanted to run the full or half at around the 10-mile mark, and if my roommate wasn't cheering me on at that exact spot, I almost certainly would have decided "this isn't my day, so I'll just do a half"), but I'd _never_ think of doing a shortcut and claim I ran the whole thing.
I RAN BOSTON THAT YEAR. I ran qualifying times other years; but not that year. But, I was in the area and so went there and ran it. Highlights: 1) Pre-race, I went 1/4 mile up the course and took a picture of "Boston" Bill Rodgers going by; (then jogged back to the start line and started running from last place. 2) I passed over 2,000 runners (I counted along the way). 3) I broke 3:00:00 - so it was a great run for me at that time. (My PR: 2:39:00 in 1981, San Diego Heart of San Diego Marathon - I finished 9th overall there). 4) THE THRILL: Going past Wesley (Women's) College: both sides of the road were packed with women screaming their heads off for us - neither before nor since have i experienced anything like it! 5) Totally unexpected, there was chaos and confusion at the finish area when I got there - lots of people knew there was something wrong. BY FAR THE strangest post-race scene I ever witnessed. Great elation for most of the runners; mixed with disbelief and anger over Ruiz. (Pictures of her at that time showed a woman NOT at all in condition to run a marathon; much less a world-class one - her thighs were loose / out of shape - like, if she even ran, it wasn't much or serious.)
I read somewhere that she never intended to finish first - supposedly she just wanted to finish in the Top 10 and get her name in the papers. But she mis-timed it and jumped into the race too early, thinking the lead female runner had already passed her.
A similar story of cheating occurred in the 1968 solo yacht race around the world. The cheater, Donald Crowhurst, had also not intended to win, with all the scrutiny that would entail, but the leading boat broke its mast on the final leg, and Crowhurst's trimaran 'The Teignmouth Electron' slipped into first place, with Crowhurst descending into stress-induced madness. The film 'Deep Water' is a fascinating look at a family man in desperate circumstances, trying to avoid financial ruin, with an unsuitable boat, who gambled his life and reputation, and lost them both.
I just want to clarify - did they ever acknowledge Jacqueline Gareau in any way??? It would be so nice to see them do a formal recognition even now. If Jacqueline Gareau is on the record books, did they give her a medal and a wreath at any point? The prizes aren't so important, but I'm curious. Thank you for an interesting documentary - very well done.
I know after Rosie Ruiz was officially disqualified they did another ceremony where they presented the wreath and medal to her. But unfortunately it's not the same thing as if she crossed the finish and been declared the winner. Like Lance Armstrong look at all the people who came in second because of him.
BRAVO... that is the best video about Rosie Ruiz I've seen, and your emphasis on compassionate understanding rather than superior judgement is an example to us all!!!! I'm extremely moved!!! I'm so happy to subscribe and check out more of your channel!!!
I do remember this very well in my teens. I just was wanting to know WHY?! If she had just admitted her fault, her life could've gone better. Such a shame that Ms. Ruiz took that lie to her grave. Also, I felt bad for Ms. Garceu (sic). To be the rightful winner and not getting the rightful spotlight, her just 🎉🎉. She knew what an interval was. She was the rightful winner.
Seeing the way this unfolded and Cloney's reluctance to disqualify her, I can't help but wonder if he was gun shy because of the way they so badly mishandled the Katherine Switzer run in 1967.
Idk how i got here but thanks youtube algorithm. Gotta say i love the understanding from the others runners here. No vitriol or demonizing hate. What she did was terrible but she probably was just a deeply troubled woman who got in way over her head.
@@thisisjogon an American comedy about the life of an actor/writer/director Adam Goldberg during his childhood and events he captured on film in the 80s.