VnExpress International reports that a runner at the Zhengzhou Marathon in Henan province on Oct. 18 was handed a three-year ban and had his result erased after pulling a nine-year-old boy through the half-marathon with a rope.

A Douyin video showing the pair connected — the clip suggests the boy had a rope around his waist — went viral, and the man is believed to be the boy's father. An organizing committee official announced the sanction on Oct.

23.

Most viewers condemned the act as a dangerous breach of safety protocols, according to VnExpress International, though a few social media users were initially surprised at the boy's endurance.

Competition rules bar anyone under 18 from a half-marathon and under 20 from a full marathon, and organizers describe marathons as "high-intensity, high-risk events" demanding good health and regular preparation.

Multiple runners told VnExpress they passed the duo during the race, some estimating an average pace of around eight minutes per mile.

The sanction carried medical backing: VnExpress International, citing the South China Morning Post, reports that Guo Jianjun of the Capital University of Physical Education and Sports warned that minors' still-growing bones face high risks of fracture and cracking over long distances.

Chen Xueli, head of rehabilitation medicine at Beijing Shijitan Hospital, added that marathon body-temperature rises threaten children because of poor thermoregulation and undeveloped cardiac systems.

This was not an isolated case.

VnExpress International notes that at last month's Taiyuan Marathon a runner surnamed Yuan put his bib on a minor and was banned for two years, and at this year's Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon a man ran holding a baby in one arm before staff intercepted him mid-course, per The Straits Times.

It made for a striking contrast with the weekend's sanctioned elite action — FloTrack reports Sheila Chepkirui set a 1:03:51 world lead at the Valencia Half Marathon, where Emily Venters ran a 1:07:37 personal best.