Rhian Ramos and Sam Verzosa. Image: Instagram/@whianwamos
Rhian Ramos slammed allegations that she and her boyfriend Sam Verzosa “cheated” their way to finish the 2024 New York City Marathon, even showing the organizer’s explanation on their unrecorded splits.
The allegations apparently arose after observers noticed that Ramos and Verzosa have no time records at certain markers of the marathon course.
Ramon addressed this through her Instagram page on Wednesday, Nov. 13, sharing a screenshot of the e-mail she received from the marathon organizer, New York Road Runners.
The e-mail reads: “Rhian, it looks like both you and Samuel fell behind the sweep and the timing points at 30km, 20 miles and 35km were removed from the course as the streets reopened before you passed through. In Central Park, we can stay open longer, so you were picked up again at 40km. We certainly are not holding those timing points against you; you are both still listed as official finishers.”
‘Liars, fake news are everywhere’
In the caption, Ramos expressed her dismay over people who “publicize lies.”
“It’s so easy to send an email, verify facts, and get your story straight before trying to ruin someone’s name for a little attention—especially when it’s your job to do so,” she wrote.
“Yes, if you work in media, publications, or law, you do have a much bigger responsibility to not spread fake news, and it’s much more disappointing from people in that line of business to publicize lies,” she added. “But I believe that everyone can also benefit from a little fact checking and common sense.”
Ramos also stressed that she and Verzosa are not professional runners and that their participation in the marathon was for the cleft charity Smile Train.
“We didn’t do it to compete with anyone’s times. We just had to make sure we could finish it without passing out or getting injured, because above everything, we were doing it for charity,” she said. “By completing each of our runs, Sam and I raised money for children with clefts to get proper treatment and essential operations.”
Image: Instagram/@whianwamos
Ramos then underscored that joining the marathon is one of the best things she has ever done, although she lamented how some people “would try to take that away from [her and their cause].”
“Anyway, I’d like to use this moment to encourage you that if we could do this, you can do anything! And also it’s a reminder that liars and fake news are everywhere! And even if ‘chismis is fun,’ the truth can be fun too,” she concluded.