How to Win the Boston Marathon – Without Really Trying

April 21, 1980

Rosie Ruiz is the first woman to cross the finish line at the 1980 Boston Marathon. However, no one could remember having seen her during the race nor were there any photographs of her in the race. Later, members of the crowd said they saw her jump into the race near the finish line. Her time of 2:31:56 would have been the fastest female time in Boston Marathon history as well as the third-fastest female time ever recorded in any marathon. She had qualified for the Boston Marathon by claiming to have completed the 1979 New York City Marathon, but a later investigation refuted this claim. In 1982, Ruiz was arrested for embezzling $60,000 from a real estate company where she worked, for which she spent a week in jail and was sentenced to five years of probation. In 1983, she was arrested for her involvement in a cocaine deal. She was sentenced to three years of probation.