Sun Yuanyuan, a fitness influencer better known as “Abeeeer”, has apologized after being caught cheating during the Berlin Marathon. The Chinese influencer, who has over 520,000 followers on Xiaohongshu, recorded a time of 4 hours, 53 minutes, and 46 seconds on September 27. 

However, her time was questioned on October 1 following a post from the Official Marathon Time Integrity Unit (OMTIU), an Instagram account dedicated to catching rule breakers. The post included pictures that appeared to show Abeeeer on board a bicycle at the 38km mark of the 42.195km race. 

How Did Abeeeer Cheat? 

Despite already posting photos from the event on social media and celebrating her new personal best time, Abeeeer was forced to apologize after being caught out. The OMTIU post displayed the influencer’s race data, including how her pace had suspiciously increased towards the end of the race.

Abeeeer completed the 5km stretch between the 35th and 40th km in 30 minutes and 49 seconds, faster than any other point in the race. This is after data showed that her pace had decreased during early phases of the marathon. 

OMTIU, an account operated by two Australian-based runners, acts as an “online watchdog” that scrutinizes misleading or inaccurate performances, many of which come from influencers. Abeeeer made a public apology on October 3, admitting to using a bicycle and violating race rules. 

Why The Scandal Cost The Influencer A Brand Deal

The influencer said that she had felt unwell during the race, but admitted that this didn’t justify her actions. She said this in a post: “I want to sincerely apologize to everyone. Regarding my riding a bicycle during the Berlin Marathon, I admit it violated the race rules, and I won’t make any excuses for this behavior.”

“Even if I was feeling physically unwell on the course, that is absolutely not an excuse for breaking the rules. My attempt to take a shortcut was disrespectful to the fairness of the competition and the spirit of the marathon.” 

“After the race, I deliberately hid this fact when sharing my experiences with others. That was very dishonest and went against the sportsmanship of fair play in marathons. I feel deeply guilty about this.” 

Abeeeer has since removed her social media posts relating to the Berlin Marathon. She has also lost a partnership with Brooks China, who terminated their deal after verifying the incident. Brooks has also apologized and said it would work harder to assess collaborators in the future.