A runner from China has followed in the footsteps of sporting legends Gary Lineker and Paula Radcliffe, pooping himself right in the middle of the action.
Despite suffering from a bout of diarrhoea during the Shanghai half-marathon, Wu Xiangdong showed extraordinary determination, ending up as China’s top runner in the race.
After 10km of running, Wu began to feel a gnawing sense of discomfort, and by the 14km mark, he was forced to relieve himself while continuing to run. All with a grueling 7km left to go.
While many of us wouldn’t even leave the comfort of our own bathroom while suffering a dose of the shits, Wu pressed on to complete the 21km race in a not at all crappy one hour, six minutes and 16 seconds.
Speaking with Today, Wu confessed, ‘Even I couldn’t stand the smell’:
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].
Once he completed the race at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Centre, Wu reportedly rushed to the portable loo for a much-needed private squat on the pot.
Wu reckons his smelly episode could have been down to him wearing wet clothes, or perhaps because he had only consumed, ‘a piece of bread and drank mineral water’.
The resilient runner told Today how he understandably wants to forget all about the race:
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.
However, despite Wu’s embarrassment, plenty of people have admired his sporting spirit and his resolve never to give up and have taken to social media to praise him.
One person cheered:
I personally want to pay tribute to him. Don’t demonise athletes. This is a common occurrence in marathon running.
Another said:
It must have been tough to run and finish the race. I think he has shown good spirit.
Personally, I don’t even so much as nip to the corner shop when I have the trots, let alone run a half-marathon. Wu deserves all the applause for not letting a shitty situation bring him down.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.