By four miles I was first and I kept first until, I thought, the end. No, I had to zig-zag a lot to get through the crowd of runners. I don’t know why, but they said my number didn’t belong in the front. I didn’t have a good start because some organizers pushed me to the back. There was a journalist who said “You know, Jacqueline, you have a chance to win that race.” He told me I would get the floral wreath if I won and I said that would look nice, but unfortunately I never got it right away. I just went there and said that’s what I want to do. Thirty-five years later, the Boston Athletic Association invited Gareau to attend and run in the 2015 Boston Marathon. We spoke to her about her career and legacy as a great Canadian runner and Boston Marathon champion. Sadly, few remember who the real champion was that day. Today, everyone knows the name Rosie Ruiz. What should have been Gareau’s coming out party as a new star on the burgeoning women’s elite distance running scene relegated her to a footnote in the “Rosie Ruiz year” of the Boston Marathon. Another unknown runner named Rosie Ruiz was awarded the laurel wreath and crowned champion as Gareau, confused and dejected, crossed the finish line. Gareau worked her way into the lead, gapped the field and cruised to victory. The officials wouldn’t even let her start at the front with the elites. The 27-year-old hospital worker ran 100-mile weeks on her spare time through a Montreal winter and entered Boston on the suggestion of a friend. No one even considered the diminutive Quebecoise runner to contend, much less dominate the race. In 1980, a relatively unknown Canadian marathoner named Jacqueline Gareau pulled off a storybook underdog victory. Jacqueline Gareau winning the women’s race at the 1980 Boston Marathlon in a time of 2:34:28
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