A social media influencer from Texas was disqualified from last weekend’s New York City Marathon and banned from future competitions after he ran the race accompanied by a camera crew on e-bikes.
New York Road Runners, the organization behind the prestigious race, stated on Tuesday that Matthew Choi violated their code of conduct and competition rules, as well as those of World Athletics, the international 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 organization explained.
Choi, 29, completed the 26.2-mile course in 2:57:15, finishing approximately 50 minutes behind men’s winner Abdi Nageeye.
The former Monmouth University football player posted several marathon videos on his social media accounts, which immediately drew criticism.
“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, who hails from Austin, Texas, did not respond to an email seeking comment on Tuesday. However, he expressed remorse on his Instagram account, where he shares running and fitness videos to his more than 400,000 followers.
Choi admitted that his filming endangered other competitors, prevented some from possibly achieving personal best times, and even obstructed access to designated water stations. More than 55,000 runners completed the race, which traversed all five of New York City’s boroughs.
“I have no excuses, full-stop,” Choi said in a video posted Tuesday. “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 indicated that Choi has the right to appeal, but the influencer accepted his fate.
“I made my bed, so I’m gonna lay in it,” Choi remarked, acknowledging that he had faced criticism before for using e-bike film crews during major competitions. “It won’t happen again. My word is my bond.”
