Influencers face disqualification and sponsor loss after cheating in Berlin Marathon

Bicycle assistance exposed by split times

During the Berlin Marathon on 27 September 2026, Chinese fitness influencer Yuanyuan Sun, active under the pseudonym Abeeeer, finished the race with an official time of 4:53:46. Sun shared finisher photographs with her 520,000 followers on the Chinese social platform RedNote, presenting the outcome as a personal best. Scrutiny began when the watchdog account Official Marathon Time Integrity Unit published images showing Sun riding on the luggage rack of a bicycle near kilometre 38. The watchdog matched the photos against official split data recorded on the course. Sun recorded her fastest 5-kilometre section between kilometre 35 and kilometre 40 in 30 minutes and 49 seconds, covering that stretch 6 minutes and 2 seconds faster than her split of 36 minutes and 51 seconds between kilometre 30 and kilometre 35.

Sponsorship termination following confession

Sun initially claimed she became unwell and rode a friend's bicycle merely to locate a race marshal to withdraw before resuming the course. On 3 October 2026, Sun published a public apology on RedNote, admitting that using mechanical transport violated competition regulations.

Riding a bicycle during the Berlin Marathon did indeed violate race rules. Even if I felt unwell on the course, it should never be a reason for me to break the rules.

Sun acknowledged that she deliberately concealed her actions in her post-race publications and characterized her behavior as dishonest. On 4 October 2026, sportswear brand Brooks China severed all ties with the influencer and terminated her sponsorship contract.

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.

Under World Athletics technical regulations, the use of mechanical aid warrants disqualification from the competition.

Course cutting and disqualification

The marathon featured a second cheating controversy involving Belgian sports influencer Ginger Jesson-Macduff. Jesson-Macduff left the official route at kilometre 22 near Rathaus Schöneberg and rejoined the runners at Nollendorfplatz, bypassing nearly a quarter of the course. Her GPS tracking watch recorded a total distance of 31.22 kilometres instead of the official 42.195-kilometre marathon distance. She subsequently uploaded the entry to the fitness tracking platform Strava under the title "Berlin marathon (shortcut)" and posted images displaying her finisher medal.

Jesson-Macduff later deleted the publication and explained that severe stomach pain had caused her to leave the course during the event. She admitted that while she accepted the medal, she should not have presented herself as having finished the complete marathon. Following the discovery, Berlin Marathon organizers updated the official classification to list Jesson-Macduff as disqualified.