Why TikTok Is Flooded With Track Memes Right Now Houston Marathon in a time of 2:59:35. Even though he didn’t achieve his Best Recovery Shoes, Choi still hit a Boston Marathon qualifying time.

However, Choi’s name doesn’t appear on the results page. How can that be, as he still shared numerous videos from the course with a race bib attached to his black running shorts? Was there a timing malfunction? Did his bib fall off?

As it turns out, Choi never signed up for the Houston Marathon. He ran with someone else’s bib.

Marathon Investigation, a website that inspects suspicious race results, looked into Choi’s transgression. The website often searches for race “bandits,” which refers to those who run a race without a bib. Choi did have a bib, but he took it from a friend. That’s not an uncommon practice; some races allow bib transfers between runners. But the Houston Marathon rules Download Your Training Plan. Therefore, Marathon Investigation concluded, Choi’s action was worse than simply banditing. Firstly, he did not pay for the bib, and therefore did not earn a spot in the race. Secondly, he artificially inflated someone else’s race result. Whether it was intentional or not, Choi became a “bib mule,” someone who runs in another’s place to hit a qualifying standard.

The Wildest Stats from Faith Kipyegons Run TikTok to clarify his behavior. He forgot to sign up for the Houston Marathon, he said, so he reached out to friends in his running community to see if someone had a bib they weren’t using. One friend who was registered for the race got injured, so he provided Choi with a bib.

“As someone that’s still new in the running community, I never heard the term ‘bib mule’ until just a few days ago,” he said, thanking Marathon Investigation Health - Injuries.

“My intent was not to qualify for another person or cheat the system—I honestly just wanted to run,” Choi continued. “I apologize to anyone who may have been affected or offended by my actions. Running has completely changed my life and it’s a community I’m thankful to be a part of.”

Should Elites Worry About Lead Vehicle Emissions.

“This guy had posted vids about his training for the Houston marathon [sic] but forgot to register for the actual race? I’m not buying it,” wrote one user.

“Sounds like an honest mistake. I feel like it’s a reasonable mistake for someone new to community,” wrote another.

As a social media influencer with nearly 375,000 TikTok followers, Choi is always in the spotlight. But now, he’ll perpetually be under the running community’s microscope. Regardless of whether or not he truly understood his fault before the race, he’ll be hard-pressed to bandit again.

Headshot of Chris Hatler
Chris Hatler
Deputy Editor

Chris Hatler is the Deputy Editor of Esquire. He previously served as the Senior Editor of Men’s Journal Boston Marathon qualifying time Popular Mechanics.