Russia's Nadezhda Ilyina tearfully explained that she ran into a gas station to use the restroom and didn't know it would disqualify her victory Sunday in the 12th Los Angeles Marathon.
"I had been looking for a bathroom since Mile 3," she said through an interpreter. "I couldn't get inside, so I came back out at the same point that I came in off the course. I had stomach problems. I was afraid to drink water even, because of the cramping."Basil Honikman, a USA Track & Field certification official, said five people in a vehicle tracking the elites saw the infraction, which gave her up to a 45-yard advantage. A television spotter reported two other incidents in which Ilyina allegedly left the field, he said.
The major infraction occurred shortly after Mile 22 of the 26.2-mile course.
Honikman, who has been officiating at the LA Marathon for five years, said he heard the evidence but had not reviewed any videotape.
"I'm satisfied that, sadly and unfortunately, that athlete has to be disqualified," he said, adding that Ilyina had until noon Monday to lodge a formal protest. Ilyina's coach, Ger Wijenberg of Holland, did not immediately say whether he would protest the outcome.
"In Europe if you can cut a corner, you can cut a corner, it's up to the organization to mark the course," Wijenberg said. He added that he believed Ilyina's excuse because she is recovering from a bladder infection.
But Honikman said the prohibition was made explicit at the meeting for elite runners.
"We specifically mentioned, `Do not run through gas stations,"' he said.
The disqualification gave the women's win to a first-time marathon runner, 22-year-old Lornah Kiplagat of Kenya, with a time of 2 hours, 33 minutes and 50 seconds.
Irina Bogacheva of Kirghizia was second in 2:34:20. Third place went to Tatyana Dzabrailova of the Ukraine. Her time was 2:35:49.
El-Maati Chaham of Morocco won the men's division with a time of 2:14:16.
Running just steps behind him for most of the race was Bekele Tesfaye, 26, who clocked 2:14:22.
A late entry from Ethiopia, he did not request elite status in time. Most of the elites had racing numbers in the single or double digits; Tesfaye's number was 4045.
Third was Juan Salvador of Mexico in 2:16:07.