Matt Choi, a prominent fitness influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram and TikTok, has been banned for life from all future New York City Marathon events. The ban comes after Choi was found to have violated race regulations by using two electric bikes, driven by his brother and a videographer, to accompany and film him during the marathon. According to Daily Mail, the bikes not only aided Choi's performance but also disrupted the crowded course, interfering with other runners. His finish time of 2:57:15 has since been disqualified, and his actions have stirred intense debate about influencer culture in competitive sports.
New York Road Runners (NYRR), the nonprofit that organises the marathon, issued an official statement on November 4. The NYRR stated that Choi's use of electric bikes directly violated World Athletics rules as well as NYRR's Code of Conduct. "After a review and due to violations of World Athletics rules and NYRR's Code of Conduct, Matt Choi has been disqualified from the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon and banned from any future NYRR races," NYRR explained. Choi responded on Instagram, accepting his ban and admitting to his poor judgment, saying, "E-bikes don't belong in races. I was selfish & take full accountability for my actions," according to Runner's World.
