Influencer Matt Choi Apologizes After Being Banned from NYC Marathon Over Unauthorized E-Bikes: 'I Was Selfish'

Running influencer Matt Choi has issued an apology after being disqualified from the New York City Marathon and banned from future races.

The 29-year-old creator posted a video on Instagram on Nov. 5, where he addressed his actions, including allowing two e-bike riders to film him while he was running during the Nov. 3 race.

“I have no apologies, period,” he said in the video. “On Sunday, I was selfish to have my brother and a cameraman follow me on the e-bike course and it had serious consequences.”

“We have endangered other runners, we have affected people who are going [their personal best times and] we made it impossible for people to get water,” he continued. “Because the New York City Marathon was about everyone else and the community, I made it about me. And to everyone I affected, I’m sorry.”

The The New York Times reported that a video posted on Reddit showed Choi’s entourage riding alongside him and distracting runners during the race. The The New York Times also confirmed that the New York Road Runners — organizers of the New York City Marathon and other races in the city — had officially disqualified Choi’s running time and barred him from participating in future races.

In his statement, he added that “while there is a possibility of appeal [the ban]I won’t.”

Matt Choi/Instagram

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In the caption of his video, Choi also wrote: “E-bikes do not belong in racing. No excuses. I was selfish and take full responsibility for my actions. I apologize to all racers affected and accept my DQ and lifetime ban. Never again.”

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Choi — who has more than half a million followers on TikTok and Instagram — is best known for sharing his journey as a runner and has participated in other marathons across the country. Before his time was disqualified, he shared a video on Instagram from the NYC Marathon and shared that he ran the race in under three hours.

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Choi was previously criticized on social media for using an e-bike to film content during the 2023 Austin Marathon. Similar to the situation in New York, his entourage disrupted runners and traffic at the marathon during that race as they rode the e-bikes to film content, per Running magazine.

In his video, he directly addressed his previous use of e-bikes in past races and the backlash he received at the time, confirming, “it stops here; it won’t happen again.”

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education