Chinese Marathon Runner Banned Forever for Using Bicycle During Race
By Ryan General
A Chinese woman was recently disqualified from a marathon after being caught riding a bicycle during the event last week.
The unnamed participant reportedly finished with a time of 5 hours, 38 minutes, and 36 seconds at the Xuzhou International Marathon.
Photos of the woman riding her bike soon began circulating on Chinese social media. Aside from the event disqualification, the participant also received a lifetime ban from the marathon’s organizing committee.
According to Shanghaiist, the marathon was also marred with questionable behavior from passersby who reportedly stole the boxes of bananas and water bottles intended for the runners. There were also those who took desks and chairs set up by volunteers for their own use.
These acts are somewhat reminiscent of similar untoward incidents during two memorable marathon events in China last year.
Back in November, a total of 258 competitors were caught cheating in a variety of ways at the Shenzhen Half Marathon. Footage from a traffic camera shows some competitors taking short-cuts, using fake bibs, and running on behalf of other participants.
At least 21 of the cheaters composed of those who wore fake bib numbers and hired impostors are facing a lifetime ban from the event; the other 237 runners will be banned for two years.
Meanwhile, a Chinese runner on the verge of winning was disrupted by volunteers and eventually lost after she was handed the Chinese national flag near the finish line.
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