Influencing others might just end up influencing you—in ways you didn’t expect! That’s exactly what social media influencer Matt Choi found out recently. On YouTube, Matt Choi introduces himself as “a Korean American Entrepreneur, Content Creator, and Athlete” who’s all about “pushing limits, breaking barriers, and living life to the fullest.” A former Division 1 football player at Monmouth University and a personal trainer, Choi is no stranger to high-intensity challenges. With 405,000 Instagram followers and 466,000 TikTok followers, he’s built a solid reputation for tackling big races. So, when the New York City Marathon rolled around on November 4, Choi was ready to take on the course. And let’s just say he wasn’t taking a leisurely jog—he finished in an impressive 2:57:15.

But the post-race celebration was short-lived. Turns out, some runners weren’t too thrilled about Choi’s choice of race-day support—two e-motorbikes following him for filming purposes. The e-bike duo, weaving through the crowd on rented Citi Bikes, sparked outrage from fellow runners who felt the course was crowded enough without the extra traffic. Videos of the bikes weaving between runners went viral, and Reddit exploded with complaints. One user even labeled Choi “bad for the sport.” The fallout?

As a result, Choi was handed a somber punishment. Soon, the complaints reached the New York Road Runners. This was the organization that was responsible for organizing the NYC marathon and several other important races in the city. In an anti-climactic turn of events, Choi was banned from the NYC Marathon 2024 and was also removed from the results. 

In fact, the statement issued by the New York Road Runners also banned him from participating in any future NYC races. An excerpt from their statement issued on November 4 mentioned that Choi, “ran with the assistance of two unauthorized people riding the course on electric bicycles, obstructing runners.” 

Such an act was highly unexpected from a popular influencer like Choi. This was because before starting the race, the NYC Marathon organizers laid down a detailed explanation of what can be done and what must not be done during the races. Thus, Choi deciding to film with a couple of e-bikes beside him was certainly a deliberate attempt at breaking the rules. Soon after the verdict was out, Matt Choi apologized right away.

Matt Choi condemns his behavior at the New York Marathon

Reacting to the news, Matt Choi did not attempt to defend himself. He immediately accepted the fact that it was indeed a grave mistake on his part to ask his videographers to follow him while the other runners had a hard time. Uploading a video on Instagram, Choi mentioned that he had no excuses. He also called himself “selfish” for having caused some serious threats to his fellow runners. Having a couple of e-bikes in the middle of a marathon might have resulted in significant physical harm to people as the lanes were crowded heavily.