Slow and steady wins the race—and so does cheating. Well, that is if you don’t get caught. One half marathon in China reportedly dissolved into chaos as hundreds of runners were caught cheating in a variety of ways.
Police found traffic camera footage that exposed dozens of runners cheating by cutting across a barrier of trees instead of jogging alongside it and making a U-turn. The move potentially shaved off nearly three kilometers in the 21-kilometer Shenzhen Nanshan half marathon on Sunday. Check out the footage below:
Forty-six people were captured cutting across the barrier on camera, but they weren’t the only cheaters. According to AFP, another 190 runners were caught cheating for a variety of other reasons, 18 more were wearing fake bibs, and three had run in someone else’s place. There were a total of 258 runners penalized for cheating.
Some of the offenders accused of using fake registration numbers or running on behalf of others are permanently banned from the race. The others will not be able to participate for two years. "We deeply regret the violations that occurred during the event. Marathon running is not simply exercise, it is a metaphor for life, and every runner is responsible for him or herself," event organizers said after the race.
The state news agency Xinhua called the event “deeply shameful.”
