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Meredith Fitzmaurice is soaking in her winning marathon time after triumphing in the women’s race and finishing in the top 10 overall in a recent marathon in Amherstburg, Ontario.
“I didn’t even realize I was the first female until people started yelling at me and high-fiving me. Once I crossed the finish line and realized the magnitude of what I had done, I started crying,” said Fitzmaurice.
The only thing is, Fitzmaurice didn’t sign up for the full race.
She originally signed up for the 21.1-kilometre half marathon, but a wrong turn landed her on the full marathon course, according to Metro News. After speaking with an event official who was biking along with the competitors, she was cleared to carry on.
“The guy was awesome,” she recalled. “And once he said I was good to go, my adrenaline just kicked in.”
By the time Fitzmaurice crossed the finish line, she had earned a time of 3:11:48, making her the first woman to reach the end.
“I didn’t even realize I was the first female until people started yelling at me and high-fiving me,” she said. “Once I crossed the finish line and realized the magnitude of what I had done, I started crying.”
This was the first time Fitzmaurice ran a marathon, let alone that big of a distance. Her victory won her a qualifying spot to run in the 2014 Boston Marathon.
