Abeeeer admits riding a bicycle during Berlin Marathon, loses Brooks China deal
Chinese fitness influencer Abeeeer admitted to riding a bicycle during the Berlin Marathon, leading to her sponsor Brooks China terminating their partnership.
Chinese fitness influencer Abeeeer was photographed riding a bicycle near the 38km mark of the Berlin Marathon on September 27. The Official Marathon Time Integrity Unit confirmed the images, which showed a clear violation of race rules.
Brooks China, a sports brand and one of Abeeeer’s sponsors, posted an apology on Sunday. The company acknowledged it had provided her with equipment for the race. Its checks had fallen short. Brooks China did not conduct a thorough review of the entire participation process, especially segment data. The sponsor immediately terminated its partnership with Abeeeer and stated it would never cooperate with her again. Brooks China apologized to runners and consumers. The company said it would reevaluate how it selects partners and reviews future collaborations. It acknowledged that its post-race checks focused on Abeeeer’s result and materials rather than how she completed the course.
Athlete acknowledges rule violation and deception
Abeeeer acknowledged breaking the rules. She called her actions a dishonest act that violated the sporting spirit of fair marathon competition. Her deception continued after she got off the bike. Abeeeer claimed she became unwell, vomited, and fell after 38km and considered withdrawing. She then rode a friend's bicycle to find a race official. Later, she returned to the race after being told she had about 4km remaining. Abeeeer said feeling unwell was not an excuse. "I will not make any defense for the above behavior," she said.
Performance data and public fallout
Abeeeer finished the Berlin Marathon in 4:53:46 and celebrated the time as a personal best. Her fastest split of the race came in the 35-40km stretch where she was seen riding. The data reveals a significant discrepancy.
| Split Distance | Split Time |
|---|---|
| 30km to 35km | 37 minutes+ (implied) |
| 35km to 40km | 30 minutes 49 seconds |
She issued a public apology on 3 October, admitting she violated race rules and hid the bicycle ride from her followers. Abeeeer later removed posts related to the marathon from her account on RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu.
Broader context of race participation and integrity concerns
More than 56,000 runners from 162 nations entered the Berlin Marathon. Over 50,000 runners ultimately finished the race bike-free. Online, some Reddit users questioned how Abeeeer secured a place in an early starting corral. Others criticised the brands that had sponsored her. One Reddit commenter described the sponsorship relationship as disgraceful. Brooks China stated it would reevaluate how it selects partners and reviews future collaborations to prevent similar incidents.
