An Influencer Posted a Berlin Marathon PR. Then She Was Caught Cutting the Course on a Bike

There are plenty of ways to salvage a marathon that’s going badly, but hopping on the back of a bicycle at 38K most definitely isn’t one of them.A Chinese fitness influencer known online as Abeeeer has apologized after she was photographed riding a bike late during this year’s Berlin Marathon on September 27. She initially celebrated her finish as a personal best.The Independent reports that the Official Marathon Time Integrity Unit (OMTIU), an Instagram account that investigates questionable race performances online, flagged the images. According to OMTIU, Abeeeer—who has roughly 530,000 followers across social media—was pictured on the bicycle near the 38K mark. Her fastest 5K of the entire race came between 35K and 40K, the same stretch where she was reportedly seen getting a ride.She later shared a finishing time of 4:53:46, which might have passed as a successful Berlin time to post about if the combined photos and split data hadn’t started telling a very different story.On October 3, a few days after the race, Abeeeer acknowledged breaking the rules and said she wasn’t going to excuse it. “I will not make any defense for the above behavior,” she wrote. She also admitted that the deception continued after she got off the bike, calling the way she presented the race afterward “a very dishonest act” that “violated the sporting spirit of fair marathon competition.”She also addressed the fact that she’d been “feeling unwell” on the course, saying that still didn’t justify what she did, and added that she felt “deeply guilty” about it.The fallout also reached Brooks China, which had partnered with Abeeeer and provided her with race equipment. In its statement, obtained by OMTIU, Brooks acknowledged that its post-race checks had focused on Abeeeer’s result and the materials she provided, rather than digging into how she actually completed the course. The company admitted that “we did not conduct a thorough and detailed review of the entire participation process—especially information such as segment data.”Brooks called that failure “an oversight on our part” and said the working relationship with Abeeeer was over.“Upon learning of and verifying the relevant situation, we immediately terminated our partnership with this individual and will never cooperate with them again in the future,” the company said.Brooks also apologized to runners and consumers and said it would reevaluate how it selects partners and reviews future collaborations.The whole thing played out at one of the biggest marathons in the world. More than 56,000 runners from 162 nations entered this year’s Berlin Marathon, with more than 50,000 ultimately making it to the finish bike-free.Find Your Next Running PlaylistSean Abrams was the Senior Editor, Growth and Engagement at Men’s Health. He’s a former hip hop dancer who likes long walks on the beach and large glasses of tequila. You can find his previous work at Maxim, Elite Daily, and AskMen.