Fitness influencer caught cheating at Berlin Marathon after hitching ride on bike during race

A Chinese fitness influencer who boasted about her Berlin Marathon finish time has been disqualified after authorities discovered images depicting her hitching a riding on a bicycle in the back end of the race.

Yuanyuan Sun, 30, said she had completed the September event in a personal best time of 4:53:46, and even posed gleefully afterwards with her medal.

However, authorities were able to verify she had cheated by checking her split race times, finding that her 35-40km split was six minutes quicker than her previous 5km, and her fastest for the entire race.

On Wednesday, she was officially disqualified.

Ms Sun, who goes by Abeeeer on Chinese social media platform rednote, issued an apology to her 520k followers.

“Riding a bicycle during the Berlin Marathon did indeed violate race rules,” a statement read, which has been translated from Mandarin to English.

“Even if I felt unwell on the course, it should never be a reason for me to break the rules.”

An image of the influencer flouting the rules was initially shared by the Official Marathon Time Integrity Unit’s Instagram account earlier this month.

It appeared to feature Ms Sun sitting on the back of a bicycle and looking at her watch, with her legs dangling over the pedals as an unnamed individual rode the bike.

“Evidence of an athlete allegedly hitching a ride from the 38km mark to the finish line to collect their medal,” a post’s caption read.

“We have heard countless stories of course cutting and use of bikes/scooters from the Berlin Marathon event.”

Ms Sun’s sponsor Brooks has since parted ways with the runner, after she wore the sportswear brand’s apparel and shoes during the race.

“Upon verifying the facts, Brooks China immediately terminated its relationship with the influencer and publicly reaffirmed the brand’s commitment to integrity, fairness, and the spirit of running,” a brand spokesperson told The Athletic.