Puffing on cigarettes helps this 50-year-old runner to successfully compete in marathons and ultramarathons. Photo credit: Weibo
A 50-year-old Chinese runner who goes by the name “Uncle Chen” finished the Jiande Marathon in China in 3 hours and 28 minutes, chain-smoking cigarettes the entire time and finishing a respectable 574th out of nearly 1,500 runners.
Uncle Chen’s photos went viral on Chinese social media app Weibo as race organizers shared his race certificate and confirmed his official time. In the days after the Jiande race more images of Uncle Chen, who also competes in ultramarathons, appeared on social media, showing him smoking at the Guangzhou Marathon in 2018 and Xiamen Marathon in 2019. According to Canadian Running Magazine, he finished the 2018 Guangzhou Marathon in 3:36 and finished in even less time (3:32) during the 2019 Xiamen Marathon.
His smoking and running habits initially came to the attention of the running world in 2017, when he was observed smoking at a race in Hangzhou, China, earning him the nickname "Smoking Bro."
Local media reported Uncle Chen is not a regular smoker, but rather smokes only when running marathons. According to Sohu, a Chinese media outlet, Uncle Chen jokes that cigarettes help him with fatigue, and runs with one in his mouth so he can inhale more easily and keep running.