Ten years and one month after Bhusnesh Deva crossed the finish line as the rightful winner of the 2014 Boston Marathon, she finally received the prize money she never received. But it wasn’t from the Boston Athletic Association.
Rather, it came from a stranger.
When Deba crossed the finish line on Boylston Street in 2014, she received no international accolades, no ceremonial gold wreath, and no $100,000 purse (though she received $75,000 for winning). ($25,000 for breaking the course record). Rather, her honor and prize money went to Rita Jeptoo, who finished first that year but was stripped of her win by the BAA in 2016 after failing a drug test.
Deba finished second on the day, just over a minute behind Jeptoo, but her time of 2:19:59 still broke the previous course record set by Margaret Okayo in 2002.
However, after failing the test, Deba’s name replaced Jepthu’s name in the history books, but the money never appeared in Deba’s bank account.
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Although Jeptoo’s record has been expunged and her name smeared, her winnings have not been recovered. A similar incident occurred at the Chicago Marathon, where Liliya Shobkova won three times and earned a total of $265,000 before being arrested for doping. Like Jeptoo, no money has been recovered from Shobukhova.
That was until Doug Geyer gave her money out of his own pocket. Geyer, a Philadelphia businessman, personally paid Deba $75,000 after reading an article in the Wall Street Journal in April about her not receiving her winnings.
“We cried. When we called our mother and told her, she was very happy,” Deba said. The Athletic on mail.
Deba, who represented Ethiopia in international competitions, is based in the Bronx, New York, with her husband and two children.
She had success at the 2014 New York City Marathon, finishing 9th, and returned to Boston in 2015, finishing 3rd.
But for Deba, that 2014 victory remains the pinnacle of her career. And for her family, these prizes were desperately needed.
“It means a lot. It allows me to train again. We have no sponsors. We have to pay for everything,” she said. “And I have two children. The money will go towards my training and my family. I’m really grateful. We’ve been waiting for this for a long time and we had almost given up.” God bless you Doug.”
“It was about righting a wrong that had been wrong for 10 years,” Geyer, who played football at Boston College and lost the starting quarterback position to Doug Flutie in 1981, told the Boston Globe. Ta.
Geyer said he would consider sending a $25,000 course record bonus if BAA did not respond.
In a statement, the BAA said it was “pursuing to recover the prize money from Rita Jeptoo” and would pay the prize money to Deba once the association receives the prize money. The organization said it had the support of World Athletics policy and the World Marathon Majors.
A BAA spokesperson said: “BAA is pursuing Ms Jepthu to recover Deba’s winnings. BAA believes this will be a fair and just outcome for her and all runners who follow the rules.” Stated.
Deba said he had been skeptical of Jeptoo’s performance since race day in 2014 and wondered why Jeptoo wasn’t tired when he crossed the finish line.
Deba looks over her shoulder on the home stretch on Boylston Street during the 2014 Boston Marathon. (Photo: Dina Ruddick/Getty Images)
But when Deba was informed in 2016 that she was the winner, she couldn’t believe it.
“I was in my apartment and I jumped up and down. That was the biggest victory for me,” she said. “Not only was I a champion, but I was also a course record holder.”
Deba said she has never held any grudge against BAA, even though she has been waiting for 10 years for her rightful prize. Rather, she considers the organization “like a family.”
She went public with her story in April, but held back for years in the weeks before the 10th anniversary of her victory because she believed the BAA would do the right thing on her behalf. She was also worried that if she said anything she would not be invited back to the prestigious race.
“It started when a friend came to my apartment, saw my second place trophy and asked, ‘What is this?'” Where is your real trophy? I told her they never sent me anything,” Deba said. “She was very upset about me. We wrote them a letter and finally got the medal. Then they asked me for a celebration to celebrate the 10th year of the award. She told me I needed to see what they were going to do with the money.
Following the Wall Street Journal article, fans around the world came to Deba’s defense, with many even going so far as to crowdfund her winnings.
“I am so grateful to know that so many people are behind me and cheering for me,” Deba said. “It’s important for people to know how hard I worked to win. This is my job. I wasn’t begging for something that wasn’t mine. Winning takes a lot of effort. I’m glad the community agrees with me.”
Deba said it was only after the April article was published that BAA responded that it would move forward with her case.
Still, that hasn’t dampened her admiration for the race, or even deterred her desire to return to the world’s most famous marathon.
“It’s still my dream to come back to Boston and not only run, but win,” she said.
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(Photo: John Blanding/Boston Globe via Getty Images)
