Uncle Chen is threatening to break the internet with his chain-smoking antics. Image: SportSkeeda
LOL: Chain-smoking marathon runner Uncle Chen is the new GOAT in town
A chain-smoking runner nicknamed Uncle Chen is threatening to break the internet. Just look at what this absolute legend is doing.
Uncle Chen is threatening to break the internet with his chain-smoking antics. Image: SportSkeeda
42.2 kilometres (26 miles) is a long way to travel on foot, but new internet sensation Uncle Chen has added a new variable to the challenge.
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Uncle Chen, the smoking GOAT?
The 50-year-old Chinese runner recently finished a race at an impressive speed – and it isn’t the first time he’s done so. He chain-smoked for the duration of the marathon distance and still got to the finish line in under three and a half hours. The man is casually completing kilometres in under five minutes while aggressively puffing away on cigarettes and he’s 50. Unreal.
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Nicknamed “Uncle Chen”, the serial smoker leant on the old habit while completing the Xin’anjiang Marathon near Shanghai last week. Pictures of this outstanding athlete went viral on social media site Weibo, and race organisers shared his race certificate to confirm the impressive finishing time. This really happened.
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Chen has also been pictured chain-smoking while tackling other events, including the 2018 Guangzhou Marathon and 2019 Xiamen Marathon. He finished the 2018 race in 3hrs 36mins and the 2019 contest in 3hrs 32mins, Canadian Running Magazine reported. In other words, he’s only getting faster and faster as the events tick by. Moral of the story? Smoke cigarettes while you run. Just joking, or am I?
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Uncle Chen is a vociferous smoker of cigarettes but ONLY while he runs. A hilarious fact, and the type of twist in the tail that we needed and deserved. Chen first gained notoriety in 2017 when he was branded “Smoking Brother” by fellow marathon runners.
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Uncle Chen still has his critics
Not everyone is in awe of Uncle Chen’s absurd achievements, though. Some Weibo users pointed out that second-hand smoke could affect his peers during races.
By-Shen wrote: “Whoever runs next to him is unlucky.”
While user Oriental Mountain asked: “Is this a doping violation?”
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On a personal note, I happened to run my first marathon last month, but the only thing I put into my body during that race was water. Perhaps I am doing it wrong and should learn from the legendary Uncle Chen?
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