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The New York City Marathon is one of the few races on earth where simply finishing is an achievement that many spend years chasing.
…but apparently — you can also just sneak on the course, run a few miles, and take a medal.
A TikTok video garnered nearly 200,000 views, filmed during the New York City Marathon, showing the TikToker, who clearly did not run the full race bragging about sneaking past security and proudly flashing a NYC Marathon finisher medal he did not earn and doubling down in the comments.
He stole a medal. He records it in the video and justifies it in the comments.
He justified it by saying that he was helping a friend to fi…
Support Marathon Investigation
The New York City Marathon is one of the few races on earth where simply finishing is an achievement that many spend years chasing.
…but apparently — you can also just sneak on the course, run a few miles, and take a medal.
A TikTok video garnered nearly 200,000 views, filmed during the New York City Marathon, showing the TikToker, who clearly did not run the full race bragging about sneaking past security and proudly flashing a NYC Marathon finisher medal he did not earn and doubling down in the comments.
He stole a medal. He records it in the video and justifies it in the comments.
He justified it by saying that he was helping a friend to finish. If true, his friend should be disqualified.
The Videos
Here’s the initial clip that to date has garnered nearly 200,000 views :
He later posted a 2nd video which has 50,000 views, and further defended his actions in the comments.
- he admits he did not run the race
- he crossed the finish area without credentials
- he accepted a finisher medal
- he posted and boasted about it publicly
What the Comments Reveal
The reaction was swift. Below are the representative replies. These exchanges remove any doubt about what happened and why.
“I didn’t steal anything… they gave it to me man”— @yaanisbis (creator)
“Just Helping a Friend” Is Not a Defense
The creator later claimed he was there “to prevent [his] friend to pass out.” Even if he was pacing someone, entering the finish area without being an official entrant violates common race rules. Unauthorized pacers can put the registered runner at risk of disqualification. At minimum, it compromises safety procedures and the integrity of the results.
Why it Matters
Marathon medals are earned. It’s hard to overstate how disrespectful it is to the thousands who trained, and legitimately completed 26.2 miles. Stealing medals and treating it like content cheapens the accomplishment of every runner who worked for it.
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