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By Hong Duy  April 2, 2026 | 01:27 am PT
Matt Choi, a social media influencer with over 400,000 followers, was recently disqualified from the Ironman 70.3 after failing to complete a penalty during the cycling part of the race.
The Ironman 70.3 is a middle-distance triathlon consisting of a 1.9km swim, a 90km ride on a bicycle, and a 21.1km run. The event's name is derived from the total distance of 70.3 miles, or 113 km.
Choi originally crossed the finish line in Galveston, Texas, on March 29 with a time of 5 hours, 1 minute and 52 seconds. However, race officials changed his official result to a disqualification.
The decision was made after Choi engaged in illegal drafting behind another competitor during the cycling part. When he received a two-minute penalty, he failed to stop at the designated penalty zone and instead continued straight to the finish line, Canadian Running reported.
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Matt Choi during a marathon. Photo by Instagram/@mattchoi_6 |
"[My time] should have been 5:03:52," Choi wrote on Instagram. "I thought the two minutes would be added to my final time, but it wasn't. These are some of the learning curves when doing a new sport. I love it because it shows that I'm a beginner with a lot to learn–and [it's] also a reminder to read the athletes' manual."
On his YouTube channel, Choi describes himself as an American-Korean entrepreneur, content creator and athlete dedicated to pushing boundaries and breaking barriers. A former football player at Monmouth University in New Jersey, he currently works as a personal trainer.
The disqualification in Galveston adds to a history of controversies and rules violations for Choi during marathon events.
In 2023, he participated in the Houston Marathon while wearing another runner's bib number.
Just one month later, at the Austin Marathon, he faced criticism when a two-person film crew followed him on electric bikes, physically obstructing other runners on the course.
He repeated this act at the 2024 New York City Marathon and this time, officials disqualified him for receiving unauthorized assistance and subsequently banned him from all future events organized by New York Road Runners.
In 2025, at the Marquette Marathon, Choi was accused of using a cameraman on an electric skateboard to act as a mobile water station, which is a clear violation of race regulations. Despite the controversy, he still used his finishing time from that event to register for the 2026 Boston Marathon.
