UK court orders Russia runner to repay London Marathon cash

LONDON (AP) A British court has ordered Russian marathon runner Liliya Shobukhova to repay prize and appearance money from the London race after being banned for doping, event organizers said on Tuesday.

The High Court judgment mandates Shobukhova to repay 377,961.62 pounds ($498,000) plus costs relating to her 2010 London Marathon victory and second-place finish the following year in the British capital.

''The next step is to get the judgment enforced in Russia,'' London Marathon chief executive Nick Bitel said. ''It will be a long and difficult process but we will pursue it, as we are determined that cheats should not benefit.

''Any money we get back will be redistributed to the athletes that Shobukhova cheated out of their rightful dues.

Shobukhova was stripped of her 2009-2011 results when the Russian federation initially banned her for two years for blood doping, and she was ordered to forfeit her prize money.

The IAAF appealed for a four-year ban from the Court of Arbitration for Sport. A settlement was reached in June for Shobukhova to serve a three-year, two-month ban through March 2016.