2014 Boston Marathon Winner Finally Receives Prize Money From Stranger: 'We Wept'

Ten years and a month after Buzunesh Deba crossed the finish line because the rightful winner of the 2014 Boston Marathon, she finally received the prize money she never received — nevertheless it didn't come from the Boston Athletic Association.

Rather, it got here from a stranger.

When Deba crossed the finish line on Boylston Street in 2014, she received no international praise, the ceremonial gold wreath, or the $100,000 prize money ($75,000 for the win plus $25,000 for breaking the course record). Rather, these honors and victories went to Rita Jeptoo, who crossed the finish line first this 12 months, but whose victory was revoked by the BAA in 2016 after a failed drug test.

Deba finished just over a minute behind Jeptoo in second place that day, but her time of two:19:59 still broke the previous course record set by Margaret Okayo in 2002.

But while Deba's name replaced Jeptoo's within the history books after the failed test, the cash never appeared in Deba's checking account.

Although Jeptoo's record was expunged and her name was tarnished, her winnings were never reclaimed. Similar cases occurred on the Chicago Marathon, where Liliya Shobukhova won the race thrice for a complete of $265,000 before she was caught doping. As with Jeptoo, no money has ever been asked for back from Shobukhova.

Until Doug Guyer gave her the cash out of his own pocket. Guyer, a Philadelphia businessman, personally paid Deba $75,000 after reading an article within the Wall Street Journal in April about how she never received her winnings.

“We cried. I called my mom to tell her and she was so happy,” Deba said in an email.

Deba, who has competed internationally for Ethiopia, lives within the Bronx, New York, together with her husband and two children.

She had success on the 2014 New York City Marathon, where she placed ninth, and returned to Boston in 2015, where she placed third.

But for Deba, this victory in 2014 stays the highlight of her profession. And this win was urgently needed for her family.

“It means so much. This means I can train again. We don't have a sponsor. “We have to pay for everything,” she said. “And I have two children. The money will benefit my education and my family. We are so grateful. We waited for this for so long and almost gave up. God bless Mr. Doug.”

Guyer, who played football at Boston College and was beaten out by Doug Flutie for the starting quarterback spot in 1981, told the Boston Globe, “It was all about righting a wrong that had been wrong for 10 years.”

Guyer said he would consider sending the course-record $25,000 bonus if the BAA doesn't accomplish that.

The BAA said in a press release it’s “committed to reclaiming prize money from Rita Jeptoo” and plans to pay Deba her winnings once the association receives them. The organization said it supports World Athletics' guidelines and is supported by the World Marathon Majors.

“The BAA is still pursuing Ms Jeptoo to recover the prize money for Ms Deba, which the BAA believes would be a just and fair outcome for her and all runners who follow the rules,” a BAA spokesman said.

Deba said she was skeptical of Jeptoo's performance on race day in 2014 and said she wondered why Jeptoo wasn't drained when she crossed the finish line.

But when Deba was told she was the winner in 2016, she couldn't imagine it.

“I was in my apartment jumping up and down. It was my biggest victory,” she said. “Not only was I the champion, but I was also the course record holder.”

Despite waiting many years for her real win, Deba said she was never bitter toward the BAA. Instead, she views the organization as “like a family.”

While she made her story public in April, within the weeks leading as much as the 10-year anniversary of her victory, she held back from sharing it for years because she trusted the BAA would do right by her. She also feared that if she said something she wouldn’t be invited back to the celebrated race.

“This started when my friend came into my apartment, looked at my second place trophy and asked, 'What is that?' Where is your real trophy?' I told her they never sent me one,” Deba said. “She was so upset about me. We wrote to them and finally I got my medals. Then they asked me to come to a celebration for the 10-year winners. She told me to see what they were doing with the money.”

In response to the Wall Street Journal story, fans from around the world came to Deba's defense, with many even willing to crowdfund her winnings.

“I’m so grateful to know that so many people have my back,” Deba said. “It's important that people know how hard I worked to win. This is my job. I didn't beg for something that wasn't mine. It contributed a lot to winning and I’m happy that the community agrees with me.”

It was only after the April article was published that the BAA responded and tried to advance its case, Deba said.

And yet that doesn't dampen her enthusiasm for the race or stop her wanting to return to the world's most famous marathon.

“It’s still my dream to come back and not just run but win Boston,” she said.

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