Winning A Long-distance Race

WINNING A LONG-DISTANCE RACE requires hours of training and dedication. In the 1980 Boston Marathon, Rosie Ruiz decided to take a shortcut to victory.

The 23-year-old Havana-born New Yorker qualified for the 84th running in Boston by participating in the New York City Marathon and posting a time of 2:56.39. In the Patriot’s Day race, she started with the pack and soon disappeared among the hundreds of participants.

As the 26-mile–385-yard run concluded, Ruiz suddenly appeared near the leaders. Incredibly, she finished first among all female participants, recording the third fastest women’s marathon time in history at 2:31.56. Race officials immediately whisked her to the winner’s podium and placed a laurel wreath on her head.

But questions soon arose concerning her achievement. Other top runners could not remember Ruiz passing them and believed Canada’s Jacqueline Gareau had led for most of the race. Still photographs and videotapes revealed no trace of the New Yorker in competition.

Two Harvard students later testified that they saw Ruiz enter the race from the crowd approximately one-half mile before the Boston Marathon finish line. Susan Morrow, a New York photographer, corroborated the findings by admitting seeing Ruiz take a subway during the running of the New York City event.

Despite having no positive evidence of fraud and no admission of guilt, race officials stripped Ruiz of the gold medal eight days later and declared Gareau the winner.

EXTRA < < < < < < < < < < < < < <

POINT What a way to win! Rosie smiled with the traditional laurel wreath resting on her head. Cheating obviously didn’t bother her. She chose to ride the subway instead of run the course. But the victory soon turned to shame as her “winning strategy” became known.

God knows that shortcuts and cheating are tempting. Some people spend hours figuring out how to gain an advantage—legally or illegally—on the track, the court, the field, or the diamond. We long for the sweet taste of success, and sometimes we don’t care how we get it. But the Bible reminds us how God feels about cheaters.

GOAL! Explore the Internet for examples of fraud in sports, in business, and in life. Note the consequences. Ask God to help you always be honest in all areas of your life.