Boston Marathon organiser to pay runners who finished behind doping offenders in races

The Boston Athletic Association (BAA), organiser of the world’s oldest annual marathon, has announced that it is contacting athletes entitled to prizes after their results were re-ranked due to doping cheats being disqualified. 

The BAA first introduced prize money to its races, such as the Boston Marathon, in 1986, so, surprisingly, the payouts apply from that year. 

BAA President and CEO Jack Fleming voiced: “While the multi-step process to reclaim and redistribute prize money has been complex and time-consuming for all involved, we have worked – and continue to work — diligently towards a resolution that supports clean athletes. Athletes will receive the prize money they rightfully earned at our races with these payments.” 

Marathon running, and running in general, has been significantly tarnished in recent years due to numerous doping offenders. Kenya’s Diana Kipyokei had her 2021 Boston Marathon title revoked the following year for doping and was given a six-year ban, for example. 

Edna Kiplagat, another Kenyan runner, was awarded first place following the revelations surrounding Kipyokei. 

Furthermore, Ethiopia’s Buzunesh Deba was awarded first place after 2014 Boston Marathon winner Rita Jeptoo of Kenya was convicted of doping. 

Deba will receive $75,000 (U.S. dollars) from the BAA. 

Additionally, in the 2014 race, she also set the course record of 2:19:59. As a result, she will receive a $25,000 bonus. She will also receive $3,000 for moving up from seventh to sixth in the 2016 race. In total, Deba will receive $103,000. 

That amount has not been able to be paid up until now, as the BAA was trying to regain the $100,000 initially paid to Jeptoo. 

In fact, as Deba has still not received this money, a Boston Marathon fan, Doug Guyer, paid her $75,000 of his own money. Deba described this as “life changing.” 

However, in the wake of the BAA’s reimbursements, Deba should be paid the prize money she deserves regardless. 

It is also believed that eighty runners from eight Boston Marathons and nine runners from the Boston 5K event are to receive payouts totalling $300,000. 

BAA’s voluntary payments should officially start being distributed in January. The BAA is encouraging athletes who believe they were disadvantaged by drug cheats to apply to be reimbursed. 

Fleming added: “We are doing what we can to ensure fair competition among athletes, and we will always seek to play host to the fairest of playing fields at all of our events.” 

The BAA is partnered with the Athletics Integrity Unit, the World Anti-Doping Agency, and the US Anti-Doping Agency.