We Can Bring Our Biking Cameramen to Marathons Now?

What an attention whore. Disgusting

Who needs an e-bike to keep up with a 3 hour marathon? That's not even 9 mph.

Perhaps he got permission from the RD beforehand? It's good marketing for the race. Not that I agree with this, but it would explain the situation without controversy.

Sounds like a great business model:

Rent a bike Youtuber to film your 6 hour Boston Marathon experience.
We will limit this to just 1000 bikes in 2024.

Sign up now!

Bikes seem dangerous and prone to crashing with only two wheels. I shall demand that my marathon be filmed from an EV (no emissions!) that follows/leads me around the course!

Pretty soon major races will have to add a wave start for influencers only. 100 ShoeTubers with their accompanying camera cars, e-bikes, drones, selfie sticks, and some pull over zones along the course for spontaneous fan interactions.

We will also have some coal powered options for our right winger friends!

Maybe so, but I fail to see how this is good marketing for the race. Makes me want to steer clear of the Austin Marathon and any other race he’s in for safety reasons.

I never leave home without my team of camera professionals filming my every move.

I need to document my life... For the people. It's my duty. I don't do it for the thanks but... You're welcome.

In a podcast/interview covering a prior year's race, Choi stated the Austin marathon organizer supported his bike-assisted documentation efforts.

2023 TikTok, where Choi states he was aware of risks associated with bikes on course and sought media credentials from Austin marathon organizers:

tiktok.com

Replying to @manchuwok1 bikes during a marathon! #runners #running #austin #marathon #speed #bikes #media #content

Matt Choi

Link:www.tiktok.com/@mattchoi6/video/720496...

Austin seems to be welcoming of on-course influencer filming, regardless of its impacts on other runners.

The best race footage is coming from drones being professionally piloted. The angles of view and being able to see breaks and surges from above are awesome. I really hope organizers start hiring drone pros to enhance the video for everyone. I'll be shocked if the Paris Olympics aren't using extensive drone coverage.

Run faster then. There's no reason to run next to this guy if can just avoid him.

Also, if you think that Choi and his bike guy aren't safe, what do you think about Nick Bester and his Parkrun shenanigans?

Watch his cameraman weave through thick crowds

Time stamp 8:45

EV's are powered with coal. Internal combustion engines use gasoline. And even the EV producers" studies show that EV's pollute more until a break even point at 5 years.

I think for his next race we have someone stick a bike pump (or stick) through the front wheel of his camera crew then run away at 2:45 pace (because he slow and can't keep up at that pace).

🐦 🐦‍⬛ 🦜 🦚 🦢 🖕

Yeah...sounds like I wont be running the Austin Marathon any time soon, then.

Meh, if he okayed it with the RD then I'd be raising my concerns with them, or just racing elsewhere. The 'haters give me more views' stuff might be cheesy, but it's usually true. (and LR is a pretty insignificant niche of the Austin Marathon's target audience, I don't doubt it's a net positive for them. Vast majority of entrants are going to be jogging for fun/completion about an hour behind choi and probably neither know nor care if they're impeded for 2 seconds via selfie stick, and for better or worse they might actually dig the inspirational stuff.)

Nick Bester senior, machine, multi sport champ, endurance rower etc, Comrades winner, coach of Nedbank teams over the years.

Nick Bester junior, douchebag youtuber running average 5km times for Facebook....

Wonder what dad thinks of him