Chinese runner dropped by sponsor after riding bike during marathon

Sun Yuanyuan, a popular Chinese fitness influencer, has lost the backing of her sponsor following an incident during the Berlin marathon in September. Known online as Abeeeer, Sun had reported achieving a personal best during the event. However, an Instagram account called the Official Marathon Time Integrity Unit (OMTIU) shared a photograph that seemingly showed Sun on a bicycle between the 35km and 40km points of the race.

This image, along with Sun's split times, indicated she had accelerated during this period, suggesting she had ridden a bike. Sun later apologized on Chinese social media platform Rednote, stating, "I won't make any excuses for this behavior. I was feeling physically unwell on the course, but that's no excuse for breaking the rules."

She admitted her actions were disrespectful to the competition's fairness and the spirit of the marathon, expressing deep guilt for her deception. Brooks, the shoe company that sponsored Sun, confirmed it had terminated the relationship, citing its commitment to integrity, fairness, and respect for competition. The company publicly addressed the matter after verifying the facts.

OMTIU, founded to combat the rise of GPS-based fabrication and false claims in marathon races, particularly among influencers, described its mission as protecting the sport's integrity by ensuring shared times accurately reflect runners' actual performances.