After the Chengdu Marathon, a incident of supplies being grabbed occurred, with large quantities of boxed mineral water and other items left at various aid stations along the route taken by citizens without heeding the advice of the staff. The incident has sparked a lot of attention and discussion among netizens.
On October 26, the Chengdu Marathon event was completed. On October 27, some netizens posted that after the 2025 Chengdu Marathon, a large amount of remaining supplies such as boxed mineral water at certain aid stations along the route were taken away by passing citizens, despite the on-site staff’s efforts to dissuade them.
Videos circulating online show a large number of middle-aged and elderly citizens rushing into the aid stations after the race. Some elderly folks directly grabbed boxes of supplies from the ground, including mineral water, bread, bananas, and even medical supplies.
Some staff at the scene shouted “don’t take it,” but the individuals grabbing the supplies did not stop. Some people arrived at the scene on electric bicycles to transport the goods, seemingly well-prepared in advance.
According to the staff, after the marathon, when volunteers were cleaning up the site, some onlookers came to grab the supplies, and despite referees shouting not to take, the elderly folks continued to grab them.
Multiple media outlets in mainland China reported on the above incident. On October 28, the Chengdu Marathon Organizing Committee’s staff mentioned that the drinking water at the aid stations is meant for participants and on-site staff, and after the race, they will try to collect as much as possible and do not allow unrelated people to grab them indiscriminately. Referees and public security personnel had already intervened in the case of people grabbing water.
This incident has garnered widespread attention and discussion.
A Weibo user named “Lao Su Runner” expressed that at typical marathon events, there are surplus supplies, usually handled by the organizers for recovery, and some are distributed to volunteers. When I was a volunteer in charge at the Great Wall Marathon last time, I distributed the excess water to the aunties responsible for cleaning the Great Wall after the race.
“Lao Su Runner” pointed out that the staff at the aid stations of the Chengdu Marathon bear responsibility for the incident of supplies being grabbed. “If there was someone guarding the surplus supplies on-site, they wouldn’t have been grabbed. However, once someone starts ‘zero-cost shopping,’ it becomes difficult to control, leading to grabbing.”
An article from “Henan Voice” stated that for an event to end perfectly, it requires not only organized management but also orderly participation of the attendees, which cannot be achieved without the orderly conduct of spectators.
In recent years, similar behaviors have been happening repeatedly. After the 2024 Xi’an Marathon, someone took the energy gels and mineral water from the aid stations and sarcastically remarked to the volunteers, “No one wants it anyway.” During the 2023 Beijing Marathon, citizens also grabbed unopened supplies directly.
Legal experts pointed out that those who grabbed supplies at the Chengdu Marathon could face detention for a period of five to ten days and a fine of up to 500 yuan; for more severe cases, detention of ten to fifteen days and a possible fine of up to 1,000 yuan could be imposed.