Jacqueline Gareau's racing journey in retrospect

Insights from the winner of the 1980 Boston Marathon

Mackenzie Sanche - Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Photo by John Tlumaki | Gareau at the Boston Marathon

It was a rainy day to take part in the Saint-Sauveur Half-Marathon, but running enthusiasts didn’t let that stop them. They gathered around a small, 68-year-old woman who stood on a low makeshift stage to share 41 years of hard-earned experience.

Last year, Quebecer Jacqueline Gareau celebrated the 40th anniversary of her victory at the 1980 Boston Marathon. However, the pandemic halted the commemorative event planned in 2020 by the Saint-Sauveur Half-Marathon’s organizer, Jacques Aubin. This year, Aubin reached out to her again. “I was a bit shy,” admits Gareau, giggling. “I thought we’d talked about me more than enough already! But it was really fun.”

In the seventies, Gareau was a respiratory therapist and, ironically, a smoker. She and a friend decided to start running to lose the bad habit. “It was a good way for me to stop smoking, and I think it’s a pretty easy way,” she shrugs. “I like telling my story to motivate people who haven’t quit yet.”

Gareau’s passion for running grew over time. She ran her first marathon in 1978 at the Île d’Orléans, claiming first place. She won the Ottawa and Montreal Marathons in 1979, where her name started travelling on lips. Nobody predicted her victory in Montreal, she says. “I wasn’t very known at that point, and maybe I hadn’t really proved myself yet,” she supposes. “I surprised a lot of people.”

A victory clouded in controversy

In 1980, Jacqueline Gareau participated in the Boston Marathon. She remembers her race vividly. A television commentator encouraged her from the sidelines, telling Gareau she was currently in first place.

Gareau recalls her arrival at the finish line. The ribbon had already been torn and runner Rosie Ruiz was standing on the podium. After interviews were conducted, the organizers of the marathon concluded that Ruiz had cheated, only running the last few hundred metres.

Male marathoner Dominic Friscino arrived 12 seconds before Ruiz crossed the finish line. The next day, Friscino told the Washington Post he doubted her victory was legitimate. “‘She didn’t look like she had run 26 miles,’ he said. ‘Her shirt was sweat-stained, but it should have been soaked. She should have had some salt stains from having dried, but she didn’t even have those. I don’t believe it.’”

It took nine days for the organizers of the marathon to strip Rosie Ruiz of her title and officially declare Jacqueline Gareau winner. “The bottom line was, I won Boston,” shrugs Gareau. “I missed the euphoria of the victory, so that’s certainly disappointing, but I was greeted grandly a week after.”

A name to remember

While reminiscing the events, Gareau was modest. “I was recognized worldwide because of the controversy, so for me, it’s not really that big a deal,” she says humbly.

When the Quebecer was officially awarded first position, second place winner Patty Lyons told the Boston Globe, “I think we run alike, both mentally tough. People will hear about Jackie Gareau again.” And that, they have.

The truth is the Gareau is not only recognized for the controversy surrounding the 1980 Boston Marathon. She is also the first and only Canadian woman to date who has won that world-renowned race.

Twenty-five years later, in 2005, Gareau symbolically crossed the Boston Marathon’s finish line again and received a second medal in memory of her accomplishment. In the year 2000, she was declared Marathoner of the Century in Canada. “I left my mark, and I’m happy about that,” she says, content. “It’s not only for Boston, it’s for everything I’ve done and the continuation of my career.”

A path of love and passion

Jacqueline Gareau started running at age 21, accumulating countless victories in various races. She says the key to success is hidden in our mindset. “A winner will say that it’s difficult, but possible. A loser will say that it’s possible, but too difficult,” she explains.

At the beginning of our discussion, Gareau said her life doesn’t revolve around the 1980 Boston Marathon. She now takes more pride in the motivational conferences she gives, in her work as a massage therapist, but especially in her son. “He’s one of the best things that happened to me,” she says brightly. “I like to say he’s like the ultimate gold medal to me.”

With years of experience in tow, Gareau continues to work to inspire others to cultivate wellness in the mind, body and soul. Her goal is to encourage others to follow their passions, while keeping their health in check.