A Chinese aged 50 completes a 42-kilometre marathon while smoking cigarettes.

A Chinese runner known as “Uncle Chen” has gone viral for chain-smoking cigarettes throughout a marathon.

We are well aware that cigarette smoking hinders running performance. If you smoke, your heart, lungs, and muscles receive less oxygen, making running tough.

Yet, according to a TMZ story, Chen, 50, finished the Xin’anjiang Marathon in Jiande, China, on November 6 while smoking during the 42-kilometer endurance race. He finished the marathon in three hours and 28 minutes, placing 574th out of approximately 1500 competitors. All while smoking a pack of cigarettes in rapid succession.

Photos of him initially became popular on Weibo, a Chinese social networking platform, to varied reactions, according to the source. In addition, the event organizers acknowledged his accomplishment by presenting him with a certificate of completion.

Uncle Chen has accomplished such a remarkable feat. According to Running Magazine, during the 2018 Guangzhou Marathon and 2019 Xiamen Marathon, he was photographed lighting and smoking many cigarettes. Mr. Chen recorded a time of 3:36 in 2018 and 3:32 in 2019.

According to the story, the 50-year-old has competed in an ultramarathon, reaching 50 kilometres and 12 hours, respectively.