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Editor's note on May 29, 4:30pm: This article has been updated after certain online comments suggested that the man ran a shorter distance in the triathlon.

A man from Wuhan, China has gained fame online for completing a triathlon in Henan recently.

Guan Zunyu finished the competition, which had swimming, cycling and running components, in three-and-a-half hours.

While that timing is nothing particular to write home about, Guan's achievement is made all the more outstanding because of his physical heft.

Guan weighs 125kg, a far cry from the typical lean and weedy triathletes.

Spent a month training

According to Chinese site The First, Guan has been obese since childhood, and at his heaviest, weighed 155kg.

Determined to lose weight in 2019, he decided to join several competitions and managed to shed 30kg in the process.

In search for another challenge, the following year, he made the decision to sign up for the May 23, 2021 triathlon in Henan.

In the month prior to the triathlon, Guan would swim, cycle and run for several hours daily, Sohu reported.

Guan would cycle 10km to the swimming pool, swim 1.6km there, and cycle the 10km home. At night, he would run between 5km and 10km.

He shared that before signing up for the triathlon, he actually did not know how to swim but learnt to just so he could join the competition.

Eyes on him

On the day of the triathlon, Guan drew the attention of numerous onlookers due to his chubby physique.

However, he shared that he received plenty of encouragement from fellow participants.

Guan then proceeded to finish the first segment of the triathlon, a 1.5km swim, in 49 minutes using breaststroke.

The next segment required participants to cycle for 40km.

Guan maintained his pace for the first 10km, but subsequently collided with another cyclist.

Despite his bicycle sustaining a minor malfunction which slowed his pace, Guan pressed on and completed the segment in one hour and 39 minutes.

The final lap of the race was an arduous 10km run, which Guan reportedly finished in 51 minutes, Sohu reported.

That's the equivalent of running at a pace of 2.4km in 12 minutes and 12 seconds, for 10km.

Sohu reported that several staff present on site accompanied Guan for part of the run as they were worried about his condition. Guan said that he felt heartened by the fact.

Since then, he has been given the nickname "ball lightning", a reference to his size and speed.

Guan said that he wishes to continue participating in such competitions in order to lose weight and become healthier and happier.

Supposedly ran a shorter distance

Since the news of Guan completing the triathlon surfaced online, some netizens have raised certain points about his running speed.

A Weibo user shared a video of Guan half-jogging and half-walking, and said it was unlikely he had finished the running segment in 51 minutes, which would have meant that his running pace was around 5 minutes per km.

The user claimed that Guan only ran one lap of 5km instead of 10km, and the organisers of the triathlon took it that he had completed the race.

It is uncertain where the source of this information is from.

Top photo from Sina and Beijing Youth Daily