Chinese runner chain-smokes his way through entire marathon, not the first time

Uncle Chen: But this is not the first time Chen completed a marathon while smoking.

A chain-smoking runner has completed a marathon in three hours and 28 minutes, all while smoking a pack of cigarettes. Uncle Chen, from Guangzhou, became a national celebrity on the Chinese social network Weibo after photos of him smoking while running the Xin’anjiang Marathon near Shanghai were shared widely.

Uncle Chen: The athlete finished in a remarkable position, placing 574th out of more than 1,500 competitors.

The athlete finished in a remarkable position, placing 574th out of more than 1,500 competitors. But this is not the first time Chen completed a marathon while smoking. He also ran the 2018 Guangzhou Marathon, as well as the 2019 Xiamen Marathon, finishing the former race in 3 hours 36 minutes and the latter in 3 hours 32 minutes, respectively.

Uncle Chen only smokes when he runs, according to the Hong Kong Standard and this unusual habit has earned him the nickname ‘smoking brother’ in Chinese running circles, local media reports suggested.

Several social media users also asked if smoking during a marathon would constitute a doping violation as Chen completed his marathon. Other said that smoking should be banned from marathons, and that they felt sorry for his fellow runners.