An influencer who abused his media privileges during a marathon has found himself banned from future events as the question of media availability has become a focal point in the public’s view.
The NYC Marathon took place which was the perfect showcase of the indomitable human spirit on Nov. 23. Running 26.2 miles is no joke for anyone, including experienced marathon runners. The NYC event is a difficult course through the four boroughs including the uphill moments that usually take out runners.
Some runners even help people who are unable to run such as the blind or the disabled. They are with them step by step to achieve the goal they thought they never could. However, one influencer took it upon himself to sabotage others throughout the entire 26.2 mile run.
Matt Choi is a fitness influencer and ultra-marathon runner who runs the big events throughout the calendar year such as the NYC marathon runner. Choi is being canceled for hiring his team to record him on e-bikes the entire race. This caused many problems throughout the race as it was blocking people from getting water and causing people to stop.
Choi did not receive authorization from the NYRR’s to let people record him throughout the race. This resulted in Choi being banned from any future New York racing events including the NYC marathon.
Choi did however post an apology on Instagram stating, “I was selfish on Sunday to have my brother and my videographer follow me around the course on e-bikes, and it had serious consequences.” Even though Choi did take responsibility, it does not excuse his actions just a couple weeks ago.
Prof. John Micewiz at Mercy University being an expert on video and editing weighed in on Choi’s actions.
“If you are shooting in NYC, there are some rules between a production and a casual amateur production. If it was an actual production, you would need to require permits from the NYPD.”
Micewiz continued to share information about his thoughts and background on getting permits to shoot video for a certain amount of time.
“Any of the boroughs used to be very easy to get a permit to shoot video. FOr example, if you would get a permit in Central Park, you could only shoot for a certain amount of time. If you exceed the time or want shots like car stunts, you would have to pay overtime.”
Micewiz shared his thoughts on Choi’s ethics regarding his decisions causing runners potential distress.
“During the race, there is a certain amount of respect for the other runners around you. Say if you are shooting off to the side then that’s ok, since that is open to the public. However, if you are causing people to miss water stations, for example, then that is a problem. It is just a common curiosity to not block runners during the race.”
As more information continues to come out about Choi’s actions, which it clearly implied he was not thinking about others around him. It becomes more clear that any race organization needs to be strict and firm on what is allowed compared to what is not.
The whole running world is watching to see what can hopefully be a new start to the rules of an important race like this one. Nobody should have to worry about potentially tripping, stopping, and missing water just because of one’s ignorance and need for content creation.
