If you’re a little older, you may remember the end of the 1980 Boston Marathon. All eyes were on the finish line as the first woman crossed and everyone was asking “Who is that?” The runner seemed to be unknown, her time was unbelievably fast and she didn’t look the part, her body carried a bit too much fat to be a world class marathoner. Eyebrows all over were raised, as were suspicions.
The runner, it came to be known, was Rosie Ruiz, a Cuban runner who had little marathon experience and a previous New York Marathon time 25 minutes slower than what she had just supposedly turned in. She was all smiles, the laurel wreath was placed on her head, but when asked questions about the run she couldn’t remember anything about certain aspects of the course and she could not recall any of her split times.
It was later reported by witnesses that she had jumped out of the crowd about a half mile from the finish line. She was stripped of her crown and Jacqueline Gareau, was given credit for the win.
So, Ruiz had never before won a marathon (she was even found to have cheated in New York and was disqualified from that “finish”), she couldn’t remember anything about the one she had just run and yet, there she was, declared the winner.
If people hadn’t done an investigation, if they hadn’t wanted to know the truth, if they were not concerned about the integrity of future marathons and simply took her first place finish as a fact, a cheater would have “won.” It’s a disturbing thought.
Now, … about Joe Biden.
