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We Found Him. THE HARDO OF THE CENTURY Is A 50-Year Old Chinese Man Named Mr. Chen Who Ran A 3.5 Hour Marathon While Chain Smoking The Whole Time

Canadian Running - It is well known that smoking cigarettes hinders running performance, but on Nov. 6, one runner at the Xin’anjiang Marathon in Jiande, China, might think differently. A runner who goes by the nickname ‘Uncle Chen‘ made headlines after he ran a marathon in three hours and 28 minutes while chain-smoking a pack of cigarettes.

Last week, the photos of Chen smoking went viral on the popular Chinese social media app Weibo, then the marathon organizers celebrated his achievement by sharing his finishing certificate. Chen finished 574th overall in 3:28:45 out of nearly 1,500 runners. 

This was not the first time the 50-year-old runner from Guangzhou was photographed smoking during a marathon—photos of Chen smoking during the 2018 Guangzhou Marathon and the 2019 Xiamen Marathon also surfaced. In 2018, he clocked in at 3:36, and ran 3:32 in 2019. One anecdotal report notes that Chen apparently only smokes when he runs. 

Chen also happens to be an ultramarathoner, who has run distances from 50 km to 12 hours.

Does this guy think he's special or something?

Running 26.2 miles with a grit in his mouth the hole time like he's fucking Vince Vaughn in Old School doing the rings?

Honestly, if you think this is impressive, have you never stepped foot inside a shithole casino? One not in Las Vegas on the strip?

Sit at any blackjack, pai gow, or 3 card table and you'll see old Chinese men chain smoke 10 packs in 30 minutes while continuing to squirrel away chips in their pockets when the tables hot, and pull them out endlessly when it's cold. Now that's fucking impressive.

Running 50-100 mile ultramarathons, and then flexing on regular 26.2 marathoners while puffing heaters is for pussies.

Take a lap Mr. Chen.