This Uncle Completed A 42KM Marathon In 3 Hours While Smoking Cigarettes Along The Way
Remember those anti-smoking assemblies back in school that taught us about the dangers of cigarettes? Typically, these assemblies would have a speaker who’d point out all the negative effects of smoking such as:
- stunted growth
- rapid ageing
- gradual decrease in stamina
- increased fatigue
Now look at the photo below
While all of those side-effects are true, these speakers have never met this Chinese marathon runner.
Earlier this month (Nov 6), an uncle in his 50s (pictured above) finished a whole marathon while puffing on cigs like a chimney throughout the entire journey!
‘Chen’, as he’s referred to, clocked an impressive time of 3 hours, 28 minutes and 24 seconds at the Xin An Jiang marathon in Jiande, China.
Not his first rodeo
Apparently, Chen has been upholding his practice of smoking in marathons since 2017 when photographers snapped a candid photo of him sprinting with a cigarette in his mouth at an event in Hangzhou city.
Despite his fondness for tobacco, Chen has demonstrated his athleticism time and time again by participating in various marathons throughout the years including a 50KM “ultra-marathon” in Lishui city.
It’s also worth noting that Chen continues to break his personal records with every passing year. Back in the 2018 Xin An Jiang marathon, Chen finished at 3 hours 36 minutes and 3 hours 32 minutes in 2019.
Based on his result in this year’s marathon (2022), Chen definitely seems like he still has plenty of gas left in his tank despite taking a three-year hiatus between marathons due to the pandemic.
If Chen’s story has taught me anything, it’s that:
Nothing is impossible
The man is in his 50s, clearly a regular smoker (judging from his photos) and yet somehow he still has the stamina to complete marathons that last for hours.
We would like to give our props to Chen for maintaining an active lifestyle without sacrificing his love for smoking cigarettes in the process.
If that ain’t impressive, I don’t know what is.
DISCLAIMER: JUICE does not condone the act of smoking cigarettes or any other tobacco products.