Despite finishing around the same time as his marathon run from the previous year, this runner faced disqualification due to consistently having a cigarette dangling from his mouth throughout the majority of the race.
From Daily Mail UK:
Uncle Chen, nicknamed the 'Smoking Brother', managed to complete the Xiamen Marathon in three hours and 33 minutes on January 7 this year.
But despite crossing the finish line only five minutes slower than his 3:28 finish two years ago, the 52-year-old was disqualified for 'smoking on the track'. He placed 574th out of more than 1,500 runners.
Photos of the athlete smoking during the race quickly circulated online, with attention drawn to an 'initiative' issued by authorities which explicitly banned smoking in marathons in China two years ago.
Uncle Chen could be seen in the images puffing on a cigarette whilst other runners trail behind him. No attention appears to be specifically drawn to Chen during the race.
The Xiamen Marathon committee later issued a statement announcing Chen's disqualification.
The decision was based on a violation of Article 2.12 in the Xiamen Marathon rules and regulations, they said, which states: 'Uncivilized behaviour from runners such as open defecation, smoking, or trampling on flower beds or green spaces that affect the race and the safety of other runners will result in disqualification.'
