Chinese fitness influencer Abeeeer has admitted cheating by riding a bicycle during the Berlin Marathon after claiming she had smashed her personal best. The influencer, who has around 530,000 followers, was pictured sitting on the back of a bike during the race on September 27, with an image reportedly captured near the 38km mark circulating online.
Race data raised eyebrows
Her race data then raised questions. Abeeeer's 35km to 40km split took just 30 minutes and 49 seconds – her fastest five-kilometre section of the race. That was more than six minutes quicker than her previous 30km to 35km split, as reported by NeedToKnow. It coincided with the section where she was photographed on the bike.
She eventually finished in 4:53:46 and had posted about achieving a personal best.
Initial explanation and apology
Abeeeer had initially said she became unwell, vomited and fell after around 38km, prompting her to consider withdrawing from the race. She claimed she then got on her friend's bicycle to find a race official and withdraw. But after being told there were only around 4km left and she could still achieve a personal best, she said she decided to continue and returned to the point where she had got on the bike. She insisted she had not skipped any part of the course.
On Saturday (October 3), Abeeeer issued a grovelling apology and admitted she had broken the rules. She wrote: "Regarding my actions of riding a bicycle during the Berlin Marathon, I did indeed violate the race rules, and I make no excuses or defence for what I did."
Sponsor terminates relationship
She also admitted deliberately hiding the bike ride from her followers. "This was extremely dishonest," she said. "Even if I was experiencing physical discomfort during the race, that absolutely should not have been a reason for me to break the rules."
Her marathon-related posts have since been removed. On Sunday (October 4), sponsor Brooks China announced it had terminated its relationship with Abeeeer and said it would "never work with her again". The brand also apologised for failing to properly scrutinise her race data and participation. Abeeeer could now face further punishment from race organisers, although no official sanction had been announced as of yet.
