Sun Yuanyuan, the Chinese fitness influencer known as Abeeeer, was disqualified from the Berlin Marathon and dropped by sponsor Brooks China after being photographed on the back of a bicycle between the 35km and 40km marks. The new development since the sponsorship fallout: Scripps News reports that Sun planned to run the Chicago Marathon this weekend, and it remains unclear whether she will be allowed to participate. The timing matters because the next World Marathon Major on US soil is days away.

Scripps News reports the OMTIU uses fitness app data, videos, photographs and past results to flag runners, and has previously uncovered athletes using bicycles, public transport or course shortcuts. Its mission, per BBC News, is ensuring publicly shared times reflect what athletes actually ran, amid what it calls a growing trend of GPS fabrication and false personal-best claims. With Chicago Marathon searches spiking this week, all eyes are on whether Sun's entry survives scrutiny.

A useful counterpoint for readers chasing real PBs: a new coaching analysis by Run With Alex, published via The Tennessean as a press release, examined 18 amateur half-marathon runners and found the 10 who achieved personal bests came from the group with no or minimal training interruptions, averaging 79km per week, while none of the most-disrupted runners improved. Its author notes it is a small, descriptive sample — but the message of consistency contrasts sharply with shortcuts.