Long-distance running has always relied on honour and physical stamina, but social media clout has introduced a whole new set of temptations. Sun Yuanyuan, a popular Chinese fitness creator known online as Abeeeer, has issued a public apology after race sleuths caught her riding on the back of a bicycle during the 2026 Berlin Marathon.
With more than five hundred thousand followers on the platform Xiaohongshu, Sun celebrated crossing the finish line on 27 September with an official time of 4:53:46. She posted pictures of herself smiling with her finisher medal, calling the performance a brand-new personal best.
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The victory lap quickly fell apart. Watchdog account Official Marathon Time Integrity Unit, run by two Australian runners to track suspicious influencer results, flagged glaring inconsistencies in her race data.
Between the 35-kilometre and 40-kilometre marks, Sun recorded her fastest five-kilometre split of the entire course, clocking thirty minutes and forty-nine seconds. That sudden burst of speed arrived right when photos surfaced showing her sitting pillion on the back of a friend’s bicycle along the course.
The Two-Wheeled Shortcut
The images show Sun wearing her official bib while rolling through the German capital on two wheels rather than pounding the asphalt.
Reports indicate she accepted the lift around the 35-kilometre mark, hopped off before the finish area, and ran across the line on foot to trigger the timing sensor.
The evidence sparked widespread online ridicule across running communities, prompting Sun to delete her race posts and publish a statement on 3 October.
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“Riding a bicycle during the Berlin Marathon did indeed violate race rules,” Sun wrote in her statement. “Even if I felt unwell on the course, it should never be a reason for me to break the rules.”
She acknowledged hiding the vehicle assist from her followers when posting her race recap.
“I will not make any defense for the above behavior,” she added, stating that she showed disrespect for “the fairness of the competition and the spirit of the marathon” and committed “a very dishonest act.”
Sponsors Cut Ties
The fallout arrived swiftly. On 4 October, sportswear company Brooks China, which had sponsored Sun ahead of Berlin, announced the immediate termination of her contract.
“Brooks has always clearly opposed and will never tolerate any behavior that violates the rules of the race and the spirit of sports,” the company said in an official statement. “Upon learning of the situation, we immediately terminated our partnership with this individual and will never cooperate with them again in the future.”
The brand also expressed regret for failing to scrutinise race tracking details before celebrating her participation, describing the oversight as an internal mistake.
Course-cutting has long troubled major road races, from Rosie Ruiz taking the subway during the 1979 New York City Marathon to thousands of runners disqualified in Mexico City.
With digital tracking mats and smartphones lining modern courses, trying to game the clock on a bike has proved to be a fast track to public embarrassment.
