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Influencer Disqualified From NYC Marathon After He Ran With Unauthorized E-Bikes

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2 weeks ago

November 5, 2024

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Influencer Disqualified From NYC Marathon After He Ran With Unauthorized E-Bikes

Matthew Choi, a running influencer from Austin, Texas, who finished the New York City Marathon on November 3 in 2:57:15, has been disqualified from the event after he ran much of the course with two people alongside him riding on electric bicycles and filming his race.

New York Road Runners, which organizes the marathon and dozens of other large races in the city, issued a statement on November 4 that read, in part, “After a review and due to violations of World Athletics rules, and New York Road Runners’ Code of Conduct and Rules of Competition, NYRR has disqualified Matt Choi from the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon and removed him from the results. He has been banned from any future NYRR races.”

Choi, 29, “ran with the assistance of two unauthorized people riding the course on electric bicycles, obstructing runners,” the statement said.

Shortly after the race, threads popped up on Reddit and LetsRun complaining about Choi and how the e-bikes were impeding other runners on the crowded New York City course. Every year the NYC Marathon issues detailed rules to participants, explaining what is—and is not—allowed on the course.

A message sent to Choi via social media from Runner’s World was not immediately returned.

Choi, who has more than 465,000 followers on TikTok and 405,000 on Instagram, runs with no shirt and a backwards baseball cap. In a clip posted to the Instagram page for the Matt Choi show, he says, “I don’t even think running is my job. I am a creator first and then I run.”

This is not the first time Choi has courted controversy at a marathon. In 2023, he ran the Houston Marathon wearing someone else’s bib. (Some races allow bib transfers; the Houston Marathon does not.) Choi apologized at the time.

A former football player, Choi has turned in some impressive performances. He averaged 6:46 per mile pace in New York on November 3, and in May, he ran 1:24:26 (6:27 pace) at the Brooklyn Half Marathon.

According to the NYRR statement, Choi has the right to appeal the decision to NYRR.

The comments on his Instagram posts about his race were not sympathetic.

“The disrespect for other runners is disgusting,” one post read. “Get your ‘film crew’ off the course.”

Sarah Lorge Butler is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World since 2005. She is the author of two popular fitness books, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!