Running influencer Matt Choi banned from New York City Marathon after e-bikers flanked him during race
Influencer and runner Matt Choi has been banned for life from the New York City Marathon and other events of its organizers after two e-bike riders flanked him during his run.
The New York Times reported that the unauthorized e-bike riders were there to film Choi, who ran the course in just under three hours, during the race on Sunday, Nov. 3.
His entourage sparked outcry as the course was tightly packed with runners.
Videos on social media showed how Choi's bikers, wearing high-visibility vests, moved between runners.
New York Road Runners (NYRR), which organizes the marathon and other large races in the city, banned Choi from any of its future races after a review found that he had violated World Athletics rules and code of conduct and rules of competition of the New York Road Runners.
He was also disqualified from the marathon and his results were removed.
In an Instagram Reel posted on Wednesday, Nov. 6, Choi apologized for the incident. "I f**ked up," he said. "I have no excuses, full stop."
He called himself selfish for having had the two e-bike riders, whom he identified as his brother and videographer, follow him.
"It had serious consequences. We endangered other runners, we impacted people going for PBs (personal bests), we blocked people from getting water," he said.
Noting the New York City Marathon is about the community, Choi admitted he made it about himself. "To anyone I impacted, I'm sorry," he said, as he spared his brother and videographer from criticisms.
"I just really got excited about the thought of hitting sub 3 New York," he continued. "I got overzealous about getting all the shots."
Choi said there's a chance to appeal the disqualification and the lifetime ban from NYRR events, but he won't do so. "I made my bed, so I'm gonna lay in it."
He also acknowledged that it wasn't the first time he brought e-bikers with him during races to shoot content. He did the same thing during the 2023 Austin Marathon in Texas.
"But that stops here. It won't happen again. My word is my bond," he said.
At least one of Choi's sponsors cut ties with him over the incident. Runna, a training app, said it had terminated its agreement with Choi, saying it hadn't been aware of his plan to have a production crew join him on the course and assumed the e-bike riders had official permits. The company wasn't also aware that he had run with people on bikes before. A Runna representative said there were photographers stationed to shoot along the route, and had a plan to capture the final stretch.
According to his YouTube channel, Choi is a Korean American entrepreneur, content creator, and athlete. "I’m all about pushing limits, breaking barriers, and living life to the fullest," his profile read.
He was a former Division 1 football player at Monmouth University in New Jersey. He also worked as a personal trainer.
His online following, which grew during the pandemic, gained him several major sponsors.
Choi was one of over 55,000 reported finishers in Sunday’s marathon, with a time of 2:57:15, or about 50 minutes longer than the winner.
