Marathon cycling: Chinese runner Sun Yuanyuan has gone viral after a bizarre act in Berlin

Chinese fitness influencer and runner Sun Yuanyuan has gone viral for all the wrong reasons after she was caught rear-wheeling during the Berlin Marathon, turning what was supposed to be a personal best into a dispute over fairness and sportsmanship.

Sun, who is better known as “Abeeeer” on Chinese social media platform RedNote, originally celebrated completing the Berlin Marathon on September 27 in 4 hours, 53 minutes and 46 seconds. She presented the performance as a personal best and shared pictures from the race, including pictures with a medal at the finish line. He has over 520,000 followers on RedNote.

But the result soon came under scrutiny after the Official Marathon Time Integrity Unit (OMTIU), an account that monitors questionable marathon performances, posted a photo that appeared to show Sun sitting on the back of a bike during the race. The picture was reportedly taken around the 38 kilometer mark, just a few kilometers from the finish line.

35 KM-40 KM SPLIT SUN QUESTIONS ARISING

The timing data made the incident even more striking. The separation of the Sun between 35 km and 40 km was 30 minutes and 49 seconds, or roughly 6:10 per kilometer. This was her fastest five-kilometer leg of the race, although her pace had slowed significantly earlier in the second half. The unusually fast split coincided with the section where she was photographed on the bike.

The discovery prompted further scrutiny, and Sun eventually admitted she had broken the rules. In an apology posted on RedNote, she said she was not feeling physically well during the race, but acknowledged that was no excuse for what she had done.

“I will not make excuses for this behavior. I felt physically unwell on the course, (but) that is certainly no excuse for breaking the rules. My attempt to take a shortcut was disrespectful to the integrity of the competition and the spirit of the marathon,” Sun wrote.

She also admitted she deliberately covered up what happened when discussing her race afterwards, and said she felt “deeply guilty” about it.

Her acceptance had immediate consequences. The result of the Berlin Marathon Sun was disqualified, while Brooks China, who had a sponsorship relationship with her, ended their partnership after the incident was verified.

Brooks told BBC News that the run should be based on “integrity, fairness and respect for the competition” and said he ended his relationship with the Sun after the facts were confirmed.

What started as a self-proclaimed marathon personal best therefore became a very different story. Sun’s near-finish cycle sparked a wider conversation about competitive integrity, especially as social media personalities turn sporting achievements into public content. In a marathon, every kilometer counts, and Suna’s unusual shortcut ended up costing her far more than her finish time.

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