Career
Gareau led the women"s field for most of the race, only to find another runner, Rosie Ruiz, wearing the traditional victor"s laurels when she crossed the finish line. Ruiz was later disqualified after it was determined she hadn"t run the entire race, and Gareau was awarded the victory in a special ceremony one week later. Her official time for the 1980 marathon, 2:34:28, was the fastest time recorded for a woman in the event"s history at the time.
Gareau met Ruiz two years after the marathon as she prepared to run a 10K race in Miami, Florida.
She has a son, Yannick Lapierre, who participates in Nordic Skiing.