Marathon Runner Disqualified After Riding Bus to Complete the Race

The cheekiness of actually claiming the third place, bronze medal, too.

A marathon runner who placed third in a British race had a secret weapon: bus fare.

Rob Sloan completed the Kielder Marathon in a time of two hours, 51 minutes, but fellow runners immediately voiced suspicion, having not seen him toward the end of the race on Sunday, according to the Telegraph.

Sloan, 31, denied cheating at first, but then admitted hopping a bus at the 20-mile mark because he was feeling tired. He then re-emerged from a wooded area of the course and collected the bronze medal.

Witnesses reported seeing him crouched behind a tree until the first and second placed runners went past, then falling in behind them. He now faces dismissal from his club, Sunderland Harriers, and could be banned from future marathons.

Yeah, he should be disqualified from other sanctioned marathons for life.

But, did he really think he would get away with cheating like this?