A marathon runner has become a cult figure in running circles because of his unorthodox decision to chain smoke throughout his races.

The Chinese runner known as ‘Uncle Chen’ has gone viral after he completed the Xin’anjiang Marathon in Jiande in China while smoking cigarettes throughout the 42 km endurance event.

Photos of the 50-year-old Guangzhou man were shared on a Chinese social media app, and event organisers shared his finishing certificate afterwards.

Despite what you may think, there are currently no rules prohibiting marathon runners from smoking while they compete.

Chen finished 574th in the race overall, with a remarkably good time of 3:28:45 out of nearly 1,500 runners.

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