Influencer banned from marathons after bringing camera crew on New York race
Matthew Choi posted several videos of him running the marathon on his social media accounts
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.An influencer who ran a marathon with a camera crew has been banned from future races.
The social media star Matthew Choi from Texas was disqualified from last weekend's New York City Marathon and banned from future competitions after he ran the race with a camera crew on e-bikes in tow.
Choi, 29, finished the 26.2-mile (42.2-kilometer) course with a time of 2:57:15, or about 50 minutes behind Abdi Nageeye, the winner of the men’s race.
New York Road Runners, which organizes the venerable race, said in a statement Tuesday that Choi violated the group’s code of conduct and competition rules, not to mention those of World Athletics, running’s international governing body.
“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 group said.
The former football player for Monmouth University in New Jersey posted several videos of him running the marathon on his social media accounts that immediately drew scorn.
“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,” wrote one user on Reddit.
Choi, of Austin, Texas, didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment Tuesday. He was apologetic on his Instagram account, where he posts videos about running and fitness to his more than 400,000 followers.
Choi acknowledged that the filming endangered other competitors, prevented some from possibly reaching personal best race times, and even blocked some from getting a drink at designated water stations. More than 55,000 runners completed the race, which wound through all five of New York City's boroughs.
“I have no excuses, full-stop,” Choi said on camera in the Tuesday 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% on me.”
New York Road Runners said Choi has the right to appeal, but the influencer said he is resigned to his fate.
“I made my bed, so I’m gonna lay in it,” Choi said, acknowledging he’s been criticized before for using e-bike film crews to shoot content during major competitions. “It won’t happen again. My word is my bond.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.