Chengdu marathon organisers ban woman who did splits mid-race, man who hoarded energy gel
Organisers of last weekend’s race, which drew 35,000 runners from 37 countries and regions, also punished two runners who swapped bibs
Two runners at the 2026 Chengdu World Heritage Marathon have been penalised after behaviour on the course that sparked widespread criticism on Chinese social media.
In one incident, viral videos show one woman stopping suddenly during the race to perform a full split on the running path, apparently posing for photographers on the sidelines.
Her move caused runners behind her to almost trip over her and forced them to jump aside in a scramble.
In the other, a clip showed a man carrying a large backpack stuffed with dozens of packets of energy gel – far more than would be typical for a marathon – from the supply stations dotted along the racecourse.
The organiser of the 2026 Chengdu World Heritage Marathon announced its punishments on Tuesday night.
The male runner, identified by his surname Zhang, was disqualified from the race and stripped of his ranking after it was ruled he had “taken and kept a large amount of on‑course supplies for his own use, which seriously violated the spirit of sportsmanship and ethical standards”.
