NEW YORK CITY, New York: A social media influencer from Texas, who ran the race with a camera crew on e-bikes in tow, was disqualified from last weekend’s New York City Marathon and banned from future competitions.
New York Road Runners (NYRR), the race organizer, stated this week that Matthew Choi violated their code of conduct and competition rules, as well as those of World Athletics, the global governing body for running.
“One of the incidents brought to NYRR’s attention was that Choi ran with the assistance of two unauthorized people riding the course on electric bicycles, obstructing runners,” The Associated Press quoted the group as saying.
Choi, 29, finished the 26.2-mile marathon in 2 hours, 57 minutes, and 15 seconds, about 50 minutes behind men’s race winner Abdi Nageeye. The former Monmouth University football player posted several videos of his race on social media, which quickly drew widespread criticism.
One Reddit user commented, “As a runner, seeing him was amazing. Gave me extra motivation to pass him and make sure I never had to see him and his dumb crew for the rest of the race.”
Choi, who resides in Austin, Texas, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, he expressed regret on his Instagram account, where he regularly shares running and fitness content with his 400,000+ followers.
He admitted that filming endangered other runners during the marathon, hindered some from achieving personal bests, and even obstructed access to water stations. The race, held across all five of New York City’s boroughs, saw more than 55,000 participants.
“I have no excuses, full-stop,” Choi said on camera in the post. “I was selfish on Sunday to have my brother and my videographer follow me around on e-bikes, and it had serious consequences.”
“With the New York City Marathon being about everyone else and the community, I made it about myself,” he continued. “And for anyone I impacted, I’m sorry. To be clear, this was 100 percent on me.”
New York Road Runners said Choi has the right to appeal, but the influencer said he is resigned to his fate.
