A runner who stopped during a marathon in China to pose doing the splits and another who hoarded energy gels have been banned for two years, the local athletics association said yesterday.
The incidents happened during Sunday’s marathon in Sichuan Province’s Chengdu and were widely shared online.
Videos showed a female runner stopping suddenly and dropping to the ground in the splits position, holding up her arms in a heart shape as she apparently posed for a photograph.
Photo: screen grab from the Weibo
She “committed obstructive fouls during the race, affecting the safe participation of other runners,” the Sichuan Athletics Association said in a statement, which identified the runner by her surname, Wang.
A viral photo also showed a man in a neon yellow top carrying a transparent drawstring backpack packed to the brim with packets of energy gels and other food supplies, all apparently taken from supply stations during the race.
The male runner, surnamed Zhang, had “illegally taken a large quantity of race supplies for personal use,” the association said.
Both have been banned from marathons in Sichuan for two years, it said.
This was to “enforce race discipline, maintain a fair competition environment ... and ensure the safe and orderly conduct of events,” it said.
Both runners were also disqualified from Sunday’s race, it added.
Footage of the incidents attracted up to 3 million views on Chinese social media and sparked a backlash.
“These people should be permanently banned from participating in all marathon races,” one person wrote.
“All [these are] manifestations of extreme selfishness,” another said.
It is just the latest incident to hit China’s fast-growing marathon scene.
A race official was suspended for a year this month after he mistakenly blocked the eventual winner from crossing the finish line at an event in Chongqing.
Previous incidents also included marathon runners jumping on rental bikes and taking shortcuts.
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