Scottish ultra-marathon runner Joasia Zakrzewski has been disqualified from a race – because she was found to have used a car.

The 47-year-old from Dumfries had finished third in the GB Ultras Manchester to Liverpool race on April 7.

But she is believed to have travelled 2.5 miles in a car after mapping data found she covered a mile in one minute and 40 seconds.

The runner, who has set records in the UK for over 100-mile and 200-mile races, told the BBC she made a "massive error". 

She revealed she had become lost around the halfway mark when she started to limp due to an ache in her leg. 

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Amid worsening levels of pain, she saw a friend on the side of the course and accepted a lift to the next checkpoint to tell marshals she was pulling out. 

The marshalls persuaded her to continue and she agreed to "carry on in a non-competitive way".

Ms Zakrzewski said: "I made a massive error accepting the trophy and should have handed it back.

"I was tired and jetlagged and felt sick.

"I hold my hands up, I should have handed them back and not had pictures done but I was feeling unwell and spaced out and not thinking clearly."

Third place has now been awarded to Mel Sykes. 

Wayne Drinkwater, the director of the GB Ultras race, told the BBC it was “very disappointing”.

“The issue has been investigated and, having reviewed the data from our race tracking system, GPX data, statements provided from our event team, other competitors and from the participant herself, we can confirm that a runner has now been disqualified from the event having taken vehicle transport during part of the route,” he said.

“The matter is now with the TRA (Trail Running Association) and, in turn, UK Athletics (UKA) as the regulatory bodies.”