Chinese Runner Poos Himself During Half-Marathon And Still 'Wins'

Running is a dangerous sport, sure there might not be the potential of being knocked unconscious like there is in boxing - unless you trip on a particularly slippery banana skin - but it's a dodgy endeavour, nonetheless.

Just take Chinese runner Wu Xiangdong, for example, who was 10km into the Shanghai half-marathon when he shit himself but still 'won' the race as the fastest runner from his country. However, as you can imagine, it stunk.

Well, when you've got to go, you've got to go.

Speaking after the race, Wu told press he had no choice but to do the dirty.

"Even I couldn't stand the smell," said a relieved Wu, who finished in one hour, six minutes and 16 seconds.

sina.com

"I kept running and didn't stop (to go to the toilet because there weren't any) and I wanted to beat the African runner at the finish.

"I was really relieved when I crossed the finish line. It seemed I had more power after I excreted everything (during the race). I definitely would have run faster if I didn't have this (episode)."

He said he believes that due to the consistency of the stool, he was suffering from a bad bout of diarrhoea, which left his clothes sodden.

Wu added: "Or it was because I only had a piece of bread and drank mineral water. I don't think it was because of what I ate. It was a mighty relief to have had the toilet in the end. I don't want to remember this race."

But it doesn't seem to have hindered Wu that much, as he was still able to finish as China's top entry in the race.

However, Wu isn't the first athlete to go to extremes in order to finish a race.

sina.com

Last year a teenage runner had to crawl to the finish line during a marathon in Japan.

Rei Iida was competing for the Iwatani Sangyo corporate 'ekiden' relay marathon team when she tripped and fell towards the end of her 2.2-mile stretch of the 26-mile race, breaking her leg.

But determined to finish, the university student crawled 700 yards on her hands and knees - leaving a bloody trail in her wake - to the end of the stage so she could pass her sash onto her teammate to carry on the race.

The 19-year-old's bravery didn't go unnoticed, though, and since the emotional footage was shown on Japanese television, Rei has received a wave of support.

One spectator told the Asahi newspaper: "She has a strong sense of responsibility. I admire her and want to applaud her."

Topics: SPORT, Interesting, Japan

Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

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