Fitness influencer apologizes after hitching a bike ride in the Berlin Marathon

The influencer, who goes by Abeeeer on popular Chinese social media platform Rednote, or Xiaohongshu, posted a "sincere apology" for violating the rules Saturday to her 520,000 followers, explaining that she was feeling physically unwell during the race but that it wasn't an excuse.

Chinese influencer Abeeeer was also dropped by her sponsor, Brooks

Natalie Stechyson · CBC News

· Posted: Oct 06, 2026 4:50 PM EDT | Last Updated: 13 minutes ago

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There's so much to love about marathon season.

The gripping accounts of elite athletes pushing themselves to the very limit. The tales of runners uplifting and supporting each other to cross the finish line. The heartache when dreams are dashed.

And then there are the people who might think, "Well, maybe no one will notice..." at a global event.

In that vein, a Chinese fitness influencer has apologized and been dropped by her sponsor after being photographed hitching a ride on a bike during the 42.2-kilometre Berlin Marathon last week.

Images of the influencer from the Sept. 27 race were first posted by the Official Marathon Time Integrity Unit (OMTIU) Instagram account, which calls out questionable race performances. In posts from Oct. 1, the account noted that her fastest time was recorded between the 35- and 40-kilometre marks, around the time "she was spotted on the back of a bike."

A composite image of three Instagram stories posted Oct. 1 by The Official Marathon Time Integrity Unit (OMTIU) that allege to show a Chinese influencer hitching a ride in the Berlin Marathon, her times, and a finish line photo from the Sept. 27 race. (@officialunofficialtime/Instagram)

CBC News has reached out to OMTIU to ask how it obtained the photo and to the Berlin Marathon for confirmation, but has not yet received a response.

The influencer, who goes by Abeeeer on the popular Chinese social media platform Rednote, or Xiaohongshu, posted a "sincere apology" to her 520,000 followers Saturday for violating the rules. She explained that she had been feeling physically unwell during the race but acknowledged that was not an excuse.

"My behaviour to take a shortcut was disrespectful to the spirit of the marathon," she wrote in Chinese.

"I intentionally concealed this fact during my public sharing after the race. That was a truly dishonest behaviour."

The bib number shown in the images is registered to Yuanyuan Sun of China, who recorded a finishing time of 4:53:46.

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Multiple media outlets report that she had previously posted about earning a PB, or personal best, on her social media, but has since deleted her Berlin Marathon posts other than the apology.

One of her sponsors, Brooks, confirmed with CBC News that it dropped a runner after becoming "aware of the situation involving a Brooks China collaborator and the 2026 Berlin Marathon."

"After verifying the facts, Brooks China terminated its relationship with the individual," Brooks told CBC in a statement Tuesday.

"Brooks believes running should be grounded in integrity, fairness, and respect for competition."

A general view as runners compete during the 2026 BMW Berlin-Marathon on September 27, 2026 in Berlin, Germany. Over 56,000 participant from 162 nations took part in the 52nd edition of Berlin Marathon. (Maja Hitij/Getty Images)

A short history of marathon cheaters

More than 56,000 runners from 162 countries entered the 2026 Berlin Marathon. It's known for being the flattest course of the official Abbott World Marathon Majors — and therefore the fastest. About 50,000 people crossed the finish line.

And while it's not known whether anyone else attempted a shortcut this year, marathon cheating is nothing new, and what's know as course-cutting is one of the more common tactics.

• THE BUZZER

  Remembering when Rosie Ruiz stole the Boston Marathon from a Canadian

• She was set to win the U.S. women's half marathon. Then a guide car made a wrong turn

One of the more infamous course-cutting examples is Rosie Ruiz, who was the first woman to cross the finish line of the 1980 Boston Marathon. She was crowned with a laurel wreath and didn't even seem tired.

Officials later determined that she had emerged from the crowd near the end of the race and run only about the final mile. She had qualified for Boston after taking the subway for most of the 1979 New York City marathon.

In 2011, Rob Sloan placed third in the U.K.'s gruelling Kielder Marathon. It was later revealed that he had ridden a bus for part of the course.

In 2023, Scottish ultramarathoner Joasia Zakrzewski finished third in a 50-mile race but was later disqualified for riding part of the course in a car.

The same year, the Mexico City Marathon disqualified some 11,000 runners for cutting sections of the course, including by using cars, bikes and public transit.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Natalie Stechyson has been a writer and editor at CBC News since 2021. She covers stories on social trends, families, gender, human interest, as well as general news. She's worked as a journalist since 2009, with stints at the Globe and Mail and Postmedia News, among others. Before joining CBC News, she was the parents editor at HuffPost Canada, where she won a silver Canadian Online Publishing Award for her work on pregnancy loss. You can reach her at natalie.stechyson@cbc.ca.