SPORTS> Feature and Column
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SPORTS> Feature and Column
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Athletics-Marathon debacle memory runs on
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-04-17 11:23 NEVER ANGRY But in spite of all the disappointment and stress that Ruiz caused her years ago, Gareau says she never felt angry towards her and if it was not for all the drama, she would not have got the outpouring of support and recognition she continues to receive. "When I see through the years I know I'm famous now," Gareau said. "Now I see maybe there was an advantage." While Ruiz's life seemed to fall apart in the years following the race with criminal charges of theft and drug dealing, Gareau's has flourished. She continued to race with top-five rankings in other marathons, including six more times in Boston, and still competes in the occasional run at Mount Washington in New Hampshire. At 39, Gareau and her former-coach-turned husband had a son and subsequently lived in Colorado for several years where they owned an outdoors store. Last year, at 52, Gareau began a new career as a massage therapist. But no matter how much time passes, the interest in the Ruiz scandal continues to play out in Gareau's life -- at least every five years when she is honored at the Boston Marathon. Last April, she was invited back to be the grand marshal for the 25th anniversary of her victory and to run through the finishing tape in a special ceremony, a moment that was disappointingly missed in 1980. "I was almost shy to do all that," says Gareau. "Like I was a queen in there, waving to the people. (They) were really happy for me and I could feel it." Gareau is content with her place in history but knows her name will forever be linked with marathon running's most famous ne'er-do-well, Rosie Ruiz. "She's almost a part of my life," she said. "I feel like I'm the happy girl and she's not... I'm the lucky one."
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