Offbeat

I remember reading that your body figures it should get rid of excess weight around the 18-mile mark.

I think it does actually. There are a handful of stories of runners pulling the side of their shorts open and dropping a log, I've even seen a video of it somewhere.

I disagree that smoking is anywhere on the same level, though. However, I suppose it can make it harder for other runners around them.

Edit: a quick search auto filled for me, apparently it happened just last year at the Boston marathon: https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a43646468/boston-runner-takes-a-pit-stop-in-yard/ I'm sure it's happened many other times also, but that story is kind of drowning out any other links.

if you want that medal, it's fecal to the metal

Yes

I'd figure after the first time they'd want to ensure there's no repeats. Like when you go to a store and it has, "No humping the mannequins", and you just know at some point some Air Bud motherfucker was like, "Theres no rule against it!"

In races or in China? Because the Wikipedia article on open defecation has China at 1% (India is 1.4%).

So that's 14 million street poopers, or 1 in every 100 people.

I worked with a guy in the 1990s who smoked like a chimney and was a serious cyclist. He did the "Ride across Saskatchewan" a few times, placing quite well while smoking a pack of cigarettes along the way. Madness and he said half the fun was how much it pissed everyone off to get passed by someone sucking on a cigarette.