ST. LOUIS, April 17 (UPI) -- Sunday, Kendall Schler crossed the finish line at the GO! St. Louis marathon and collected her trophy in the event. Less than a week later, she's been stripped of her title after she supposedly cheated by using the oldest racing trick in the book: She only ran the last leg of the race.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the story earlier this week and Friday, and said race organizers learned of the supposed cheating almost immediately.


Schler's marathon win automatically qualified her to run in the Boston Marathon. However, that has now also been rescinded.

According to the Post-Dispatch report, Schler, 26, slipped into the race somewhere past the final checkpoint. She did not register any times along the 26-mile race in downtown St. Louis, which officials say is a highly suspicious indication. A review of her third-place 2014 performance also did not turn up any photos of her running, the report said.

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Following an investigation, organizers stripped her of the title and vacated her spot in next week's Boston Marathon. She also stood to collect the $1,500 first prize and posed for a photograph with running legend Jackie Joyner-Kersee after crossing the finish line.

Race officials said the new revelations raise suspicion concerning the authenticity of Schler's 2014 performance in the endurance marathon.

"It's a difficult situation for everybody, including the people who ran a fair race and don't get the recognition they should receive," GO! St. Louis marathon president Nancy Lieberman said. "I said to her, 'It looks like you perpetrated a fraud.' I have nothing legitimate that says she officially started and ran 26.2 miles in 2014 or 2015."

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As a result of the allegations, the true winner was declared as Andrea Karl -- who crossed the finish line Sunday only to be told that another woman had won.

Lieberman said she had spoken to Schler by telephone and notified her that her 2014 and 2015 times would be vacated. Schler has not yet publicly addressed the accusations.

Officials said there were multiple red flags about Schler's finish. One, for example, was that she wore her race tag and number on her leg, which is contrary to official race guidelines. Also, an electronic strip that's placed on every runner's tag -- which automatically registers a runner's time as they cross each checkpoint throughout the race -- had been removed by Schler, both this year and last.

Another strange occurrence, officials said, was that a bicyclist always rides alongside whoever is first in the race. Sunday, that bicyclist was with Andrea Karl -- not Schler -- as she crossed the finish line.

Perhaps the biggest giveaway, though, was the fact that Karl was notified by officials at the start of the race that she was leading the pack. And after that, Karl never saw anyone pass her.

Lieberman said she feels sorry that Karl didn't receive the typical celebratory accolades that are given to a race winner.

"There's a euphoria the winner gets, breaking the tape and having the crowd cheer," she said. "The true winner did everything right and didn't get her due."