- A 52-year-old Chinese marathon runner has been disqualified for chain-smoking during a race.
- Last year, the China Athletics Association banned smoking during marathons.
- “Uncle Chen” smoked cigarettes during past marathons, saying it helped him recover from fatigue.
A Chinese man has been disqualified from a marathon after chain-smoking throughout the 42-mile race, according to MailOnline.
According to news outlets, the man known as “Uncle Chen” completed the Xiamen Marathon in 3 hours and 33 minutes, but was disqualified for violating race rules that prohibit smoking on the course.
MailOnline reported that the runners breached new rules against uncivilized behavior, which prohibits “defecating in the open, smoking and trampling on flowerbeds and green spaces”.
According to MailOnline, the China Athletics Association introduced the regulation last year to encourage healthier participation in races.
“Uncle Chen”, now 52 years old, became Internet famous two years ago after he was photographed and videotaped racing with a cigarette in his mouth.
At the 2022 Shinyasue Marathon, he placed 574th out of over 1,500 runners.
According to Business Insider, he completed the race in 3 hours and 28 minutes, which was five minutes faster than his recent attempts.
According to Sky News, Chen has previously run other marathons while smoking. According to the report, he smoked throughout the 2018 Guangzhou Marathon and the 2019 Xiamen Marathon.
Chinese news site Sohu Chen previously said that cigarettes are effective in relieving fatigue, and that he runs with a cigarette in his mouth so that he can continue smoking comfortably.
