A man from Guangzhou reportedly completed a marathon in three hours and 28 minutes, all while chain-smoking his way through a pack of cigarettes.
Uncle Chen, as he is known, set the Chinese social media site Weibo abuzz as photos of him smoking cigarettes while running the Xin’anjiang Marathon in Jiande, China were uploaded after the event on November 6.
The event organizers also thought it was quite an achievement and subsequently posted his finishing certificate online. Uncle Chen completed the race in 574th position out of over 1,500 competitors, with a time of 3:28:45.
Netizens were quick to point out that this isn't the first time the cigarette-loving runner threw clouds at a marathon as they dredged up pictures of him smoking while running at the 2018 Guangzhou Marathon as well as the 2019 Xiamen Marathon. According to lore, Uncle Chen only smokes when he runs.
Netizens further aired their opinions on the matter, with some saying it was uncivilized, that smoking should be banned from marathons, and that they felt sorry for his fellow runners.
Smoking athlete Uncle Chen puffs his dart as he jogs on. (Weibo)
With no time to stop, Uncle Chen digs for another durry. (Weibo)
Iron-lunged lad lights up. (Weibo)