Influencer Abeeeer apologizes after Berlin Marathon bike photos; Brooks cuts ties
Photos from the Sept 27 race showed her on a bike near the 38 km mark after she posted a personal best; she was disqualified and her sponsor dropped her.
The tea in 3
- Photos of Chinese fitness influencer Abeeeer on a bike near the 38 km mark of the Sept 27 Berlin Marathon went viral.
- She posted an apology on Oct 3, admitting she took a shortcut and hid it in her post-race sharing.
- She was disqualified and Brooks China ended its relationship with her.
A Chinese fitness influencer known as Abeeeer has apologized and been disqualified from the 2026 Berlin Marathon after photos showed her riding on the back of a bike during the race. According to CBC News, her sponsor Brooks China has ended its relationship with her.
What happened
Images from the Sept 27 race were first posted by the Official Marathon Time Integrity Unit (OMTIU), an Instagram account that calls out questionable race results by influencers, CBC reports. The Independent says it was started last year by two Australian runners. The account said her fastest split came between the 35 and 40 km marks, around when she was pictured on a bike near the 38 km mark, according to The Independent.
She had posted about a personal best from the race before the photos surfaced. CBC says she has since deleted her Berlin Marathon posts except for the apology. More than 56,000 runners from 162 countries entered the race, per CBC.
- Berlin Marathon takes place.
- OMTIU posts the photos.
- Abeeeer posts a “sincere apology” on RedNote.
- OMTIU posts an apology from Brooks China.
- Brooks tells CBC it terminated the relationship.
The apology
Writing in Chinese on RedNote (Xiaohongshu), Abeeeer said she was feeling unwell during the race but called that “not an excuse.” CBC translates the key line:
My behaviour to take a shortcut was disrespectful to the spirit of the marathon. I intentionally concealed this fact during my public sharing after the race. That was a truly dishonest behaviour.— Abeeeer, on RedNote, Oct 3, via CBC News
The sponsor reaction
Brooks told CBC that after “verifying the facts,” Brooks China terminated its relationship with her, adding that “running should be grounded in integrity, fairness, and respect for competition.” The Independent reports that Brooks China also apologized publicly in a statement OMTIU posted on Oct 4, saying its checks had fallen short. The company said it verified finishing results and the materials she provided but “didn’t conduct a thorough and detailed review of the entire participation process, especially information such as segment data.” It added that it “will never work with her again.”
A Berlin Marathon spokesperson told CBC the event does not comment on individuals, but that in cases of proven fraud it contacts the person and disqualifies them. By Oct 7, her official results showed a disqualification.
Why people paid attention
Race-cheating accounts like OMTIU exist because influencers often post GPS-watch times instead of official chip times, per The Independent. On Reddit, some users asked how she got into an early-start corral and questioned the brands that sponsored her, the paper says.
The disqualification stands, the sponsorship is over and the apology is the only Berlin post left on her account, according to CBC.
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