Cheating Gets Bergen County Runner Banned From Boston Marathon For Life

A Bergen County woman who was caught breaking Boston Marathon rules has been barred from participating in the race for life.

The Boston Globe reported that Gia Alvarez, a mother who has her own blog, “Run Gia Run,” was banned from the marathon after the Boston Athletic Association discovered she used a friend’s time to quality for this year’s race.

Alvarez, a Tenafly resident, could not run in the 2014 race due to a miscarriage and did not run in 2015 because she was pregnant, the report said.

The B.A.A. denied Alvarez a pregnancy deferral, so, according to the report, Alvarez gave her number bib to a friend, who ran in the 2015 marathon under Alvarez’s name. The person finished with a fast enough time to quality for this year’s race, according to the report.

Alvarez issued an apology on her blog Wednesday.

“I made a mistake, I made a bad decision and I have been punished. I feel very sorry,” she wrote. “We all make mistakes, we are human. I claim this mistake with no excuses and accept the punishment with as much dignity as possible.”

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Patch file photo