Chinese fitness influencer apologises for cheating at Berlin marathon

Chinese fitness influencer Abeeeer, whose real name was revealed on her race bib to be Sun Yuanyuan, has apologised after being caught cheating during the Berlin Marathon. 

Abeeeer, who boasts over 520,000 followers on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu, completed the 27 September race in four hours, 53 minutes, and 46 seconds. Following the event, she posted photos celebrating the result as a personal best.

However, her performance drew suspicion on 1 October when the Official Marathon Time Integrity Unit (OMTIU) - an independent online watchdog run by two Australian runners to scrutinise influencer race results - posted photographs showing Abeeeer riding on the back of a bicycle around the 38km mark.

OMTIU also highlighted anomalies in her race data: while her pace had progressively slowed in the earlier stages, her split between the 35km and 40km marks dropped to 30 minutes and 49 seconds—making it her fastest 5km stretch of the entire 42.195km marathon.

The influencer admitted to violating race rules and issued a formal apology on 3 October, confirming she had ridden a bicycle during the event. She explained that she had been feeling physically unwell during the course, but acknowledged that her health was no excuse.

Writing in Chinese, she admitted her actions showed disrespect for "the fairness of the competition and the spirit of the marathon," adding that she felt deeply guilty for intentionally omitting the incident from her original social media posts. She has since deleted all Berlin Marathon-related content from her profile.

Her apology has drawn over 500 likes and 4,000 comments, with social media users expressing mixed reactions. While some questioned whether her health claim was merely a cover-up, others suggested she was paying the price for her online popularity.

In the wake of the controversy, sportswear brand Brooks China—which collaborated with Abeeeer ahead of the marathon later said that it had terminated its partnership with her and blacklisted her from future campaigns. The brand apologised to the public and stated it would tighten its vetting process for future ambassador partnerships.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to OMTIU for a statement. 

Abeeeer is not the only influencer to face backlash over race misconduct in recent months. A recentHYROX event in Beijing also drew intense scrutiny over the brand's response to elite athlete Joanna Wietrzyk, who suffered an involuntary bowel movement mid-race and continued competing, prompting broader questions around event safety, hygiene, and official protocols.

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