A Chinese man ran a marathon in three and a half hours with a cigarette in his mouth (4 photos)

Marathon runners tend to be obsessed with their health—perhaps even more than other athletes - but the runner nicknamed "Uncle Chen" has his own ideas about a healthy lifestyle. Chen, 50, recently ran Xinanjiang Marathon in Jiande, smoking cigarette after cigarette on throughout the 42 km race.





Photos of runner-smoker go viral on Chinese social media network, after which the organizers of the marathon posted a certificate, confirming that Chen finished 574th in a race with almost 1500 participants and showed an impressive time of 3:28:45.



According to Canadian Running Magazine, the Chinese man is no longer first seen at a race with a cigarette - he ran in the same way 2018 Guangzhou Marathon and 2019 Xiamen Marathon, Continuously Smoking all the way. In 2018, Chen showed a time of 3:36, and in 2019 ran a marathon in 3:32.

On the Internet, you can also find evidence that Chen runs. and ultramarathons, one of which is designed for 50 kilometers, and the other lasts 12 hours. Chen became known among runners as "Smoking Brother" after the 2017 event in Hangzhou city.





The reaction of netizens to the unusual athlete is quite ambiguous: someone praises his abilities, while others believe that he sets a bad example.

“Here he is, my hero. See how he smokes, ”wrote one Instagram user *.

“Imagine that you have to run after him the whole race,” said another.

“So this is what peak performance looks like,” joked a third.

There are currently no rules forbidding marathon runners from smoking cigarettes during competition.