British ultra-marathon star is banned for a year after she jumped into a car mid-race to skip 2.5 miles of a race (and she still only finished third!)

A top British ultra-marathon runner has received a one-year ban after using a car for part of a 50-mile race in which she finished third.

Joasia Zakrzewski, who finished 14th in the marathon at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, made headlines in April after she admitted travelling in her friend’s vehicle for 2.5 miles of the GB Ultras Manchester to Liverpool event.

The 47-year-old claimed she had suffered a leg injury around the halfway mark and had intended to pull out, only to be encouraged to finish the race in a ‘non-competitive’ way.

When she crossed the line, Zakrzewski then accepted a medal and a third-place wooden trophy, which she concedes was a ‘massive error’.