Marathon winner still owed $100,000
Doping case lingers a decade later
A Boston Marathon winner who smashed the iconic course record is still waiting for her $100,000 payday a decade later.
The 2014 marathon winner Buzunesh Deba says she’s owed $100,000 from the Boston Athletic Association after the initial firstplace finisher was disqualified for doping.
As Deba waits for the $100,000 in prize money, the B.A.A. — with $27.3 million in net assets, as of its most recent publicly available tax filing — is still trying to get the cash back from the cheater, Rita Jeptoo.
As a result, the B.A.A. won’t pay Deba the $100,000 that she deserves. The Wall Street Journal first reported this ahead of the decade anniversary of Deba’s Boston win.
“The Boston Athletic Association stands for clean sport and fair competition,” the B.A.A. said in a statement.
“Following the ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the B.A.A. pursued reclaiming winnings from Rita Jeptoo,” the B.A.A. added. “As the matter is still ongoing, we are unable to comment further at this time.”
A year after the Boston Marathon bombings, Jeptoo crushed the women’s course record in a time of 2:18:57. The Kenyan runner received $150,000 for winning the marathon, plus an additional bonus of $25,000 for setting a course record time.
Deba finished second in 2:19:59 — which would have been a course record without Jeptoo’s blazing time. The Ethiopian runner took home $75,000 for second place.
But then in 2016, Jeptoo was banned from the sport for doping — costing her the 2014 marathon title, as well as her course record time. She had used the banned blood booster erythropoietin (EPO).
After that ban for Jeptoo, Deba was elevated as the winner of the 2014 marathon. Also, Deba is listed as the course record holder for the legendary race from Hopkinton to Boston.
Meanwhile Deba, now a 36-year-old mother of two who lives in the Bronx, is still waiting for the extra $100,000 in prize money from the B.A.A.
“I thought everything is to change after I hear the news (about becoming the marathon winner), but nothing,” Deba told CBS News New York this week.
According to the B.A.A.’s most recent publicly available tax filing from 2022, the nonprofit had $27.3 million in net assets. The B.A.A. reported $30.9 million in total assets, and $3.6 million in total liabilities.
That year the B.A.A. reported $43.6 million in total revenue, and $36.5 million in total expenses — for a difference of about $7 million. The association reported $4.4 million in salaries and other compensation that year.
According to The Wall Street Journal’s report, Deba is hoping to return to elite racing soon. She wants to run the Boston Marathon again if the B.A.A. pays her the $100,000 in prize money.
“I want to win again, Boston Marathon,” she told the Journal. “It’s a big race.”