Chain-Smoking Marathon Runner Finishes Race in Under 3.5 Hours

The 50-year-old runner apparently has a habit of smoking while running marathons.

A 50-year-old runner from China completed the Xin’anjiang Marathon in Jiande in three hours and 28 minutes while chain-smoking an entire pack of cigarettes this month.

A photo of the runner, who goes by the name “Uncle Chen,” went viral on the Chinese social media app Weibo showing the runner with a cigarette in his mouth while running. It is definitely a sight not many people are used to seeing.

Despite his smoking during the marathon, Uncle Chen finished 574th out of more than 1,500 runners with his time.

Apparently, Uncle Chen’s habit of smoking and running is nothing new, according to local media in China. He was first seen running an event in 2017 in Hangzhou, and people began calling him the name “Smoking Brother,” per Runner’s World.

He also ran the 2018 Guangzhou Marathon in three hours and 36 minutes, similar to his time this year. He smoked during that race too, according to Canadian Running Magazine. In ’19, he ran the Xiamen Marathon in three hours and 32 minutes.

With these recorded times, it seems that Uncle Chen recorded his quickest marathon this year at the Xin’anjiang Marathon, all while chain-smoking an entire pack of cigarettes.