Marathoners Question Woman's Finish

Runners in Monday's Boston Marathon, including the winner Bill Rodgers, said yesterday they believe allegations that Rosie Ruiz, the first-place women's finisher, did not run the entire race.

At a morning press conference at the Harvard Coop, where he was promoting his book "Marathoning," Rodgers said "it's just impossible that she could have won. You just can't run a 2:31 (Ruiz's record-breaking time) after just one-and-a half years of marathoning."

John D. Kely, the 73-year old marathon celebrity who finished his 49th race this year, said yesterday he agrees with the accusations against Ruiz.

Will Cloney, director of the Boston Marathon, said yesterday race officials who reviewed films of the marathon could find no signs that Ruiz had actually run the race.

"She doesn't appear, except at the finish line," he said.

Speaking at a running symposium at the Science Center which included Ellen M. Hart '80, a Harvard marathoner, and Bob Hall, a top wheelchair marathoner, Kelly said "I think she was a faker. She didn't even look tired or sweaty after the race."

Other members of the symposium also agreed Ruiz's win was the result of cheating. Hart said, "It's incredibly unfair that she walked off with the win after running only a few miles. I'll bet she didn't even have to shower afterwards."

Race directors, however, will not take action against Ruiz, Cloney said, because they have no definite proof she did not run the race. Officials at checkpoints along the 26-mile course verify only the first 100 runners to pass the checkpoint, without regard to the sex of the runners.

Susan Stricklin, another member of the running symposium, said yesterday "it's pretty obvious she jumped in somewhere between 22 and 26 miles." She added that women runners were "very upset" that Ruiz' alleged cheating deprived the true winner of her rightful victory.