Dozens Cheat In Xiamen, China Marathon: Runners Used Cars, Race Chips To Fool Officials

Dozens of runners competing in a marathon in Xiamen, China cheated, according to race officials.
Nearly a third of the race's top 100 finishers (50,000 competed), used more than athletic prowess to earn their times.

According to The Guardian, many young people cheated so that they could increase their scores on the gaokao, a test that determines placement in China's university system. The newspaper explains how the "runners" cheated:

Some competitors jumped into vehicles part way through the route, Chinese media reported, while others gave their time-recording microchips to faster runners. Numbers 8,892 and 8,897 both recorded good times - but only thanks to number 8,900, who carried their sensors across the finish line.

Jiefang Daily, the Shanghai Communist party newspaper, said organisers caught the cheats when they scanned video footage. The paper said most of those involved had apologised...